The Lyoko Pack
by RejolWivurr
Summary: Ulrich never knew how he lost his memory. What he did know was what he was. He was a werewolf, alone, and hunted. Without a pack, or a home. But that all changed when he met the pack of werewolves that his parents were in before they died. Can they help him find his memory? Can they beat the wolf Xana? Who's hunting Ulrich, and Why? Set in Alternant Universe. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**Hello readers. This is the first fanfiction that I've written on this site, so I'm a little new with how things work. So please cut me a little slack if something isn't working. However this isn't the first fanfic I've written just the first on this site. Obviously from the description you know it's an AU about Code Lyoko.**

**I thought about this plot line once, so I looked up a few fics and almost all of the ones I found were short, unorganized, or abandoned. It really annoy's me when people just abandon their fanfics, and I don't think many people have tried this plot line enough. So I decided to make this story.**

Deep in the forests of Europe in a secluded clearing laid a wolf. But this was no ordinary wolf. No, this wolf was different than the others. It was large. Several feet high, and long. It could easily be used as a mount like a horse. It had brown fur all over, and razor-like teeth and claws. It's legs were large and powerful. It could run for days at a time without stopping if need be. But the most prominent of its features were its eyes. It had glowing golden eyes that pierced threw the night making it as easy to see as if it were day.

As it lay there drifting to sleep a noise caused its ears to twitch. Its eyes opened once more, looking out into the night. It's eyes caught sight of a flicker of movement, and as it saw what it was for a moment it laid stock still. Then coming back to its senses the wolf leaped to its feet sprinting away into the night faster than you could blink, and something slipped out of the bushes as it watched the wolf take off with it's blood red eyes. And then it raced after the wolf.

The wolf kept on for as long as it could, but the creature was gaining. And it was not alone. The wolf could see three more chasing it. The longer the wolf ran the slower he got. It was so tired. It hadn't eaten in days, and had been running for weeks. He couldn't get away from the creatures. If it turned to fight they would overwhelm him with their numbers, and if it kept running it would collapsed from exhaustion soon enough. It would die, but it kept going. The wolf new that it had crossed into pack territory a week ago, and it was surprised that the creature had followed it past the boundaries. They normally wouldn't go near the place. It was dangerous for the wolf to be here. It wan't part of any pack, and if it was caught by the wolves that controlled this part of the woods then he would be treated as a threat and ran out.

But it didn't have a choice it was the only place that was safe from the creatures, but it appeared that wasn't the case anymore as the creatures still kept after it. It's limbs were getting sluggish, and it new that it wouldn't be able to run for much longer. Suddenly one of the creatures appeared in front of it reaching its claws out to rake them down on the wolfs face. But the wolf was strong, and even though it was exhausted it didn't want to die. It threw every thing it had into jumping over the creature. But as it passed above the creature it leaped up closing its jaws around the wolf's back leg biting down hard before letting go quickly. The wolf was thrown off balance by the bite, and hit the ground hard rolling several times until coming to a stop on its side. The wolf tried to raise itself back up to fight, but whimpered in pain as it found its leg was fractured and bleeding from the bite. It slumped down laying on its side defeated as the creatures surround it. The creature that bit the wolf stepped forward. It had tasted blood, and it wanted more. It stepped closer ready to deliver a killing blow. As the creature went to sink it's fangs into the wolfs throat the wolf closed it's eyes letting out a whimper waiting for death. Then out of the darkness around them a snarl rang out.

The wolf opened it's eyes just in time to see the creature about to kill it turning towards a jet black male wolf leaping through the air legs outstretched to land on the creature. The creatures scream of surprise was cut short as the wolf landed on it tackling it to the ground its teeth closing around it's throat, killing it. The other three creatures reacted quickly running forward to attack the wolf, but were quickly cut off by a golden male wolf with dark purple streaks in its fur, an ebony black female with silver on it's paws, chest, and belly, and a small white female wolf with a pinkish hue to it's fur. A pack was here, and the creatures knew they wouldn't stand a chance. They ran, but before they could take two steps back the first wolf to show up stepped in their path blocking their escape. The creatures had rushed toward it earlier by instinct, but now that they had gotten a good look at the black wolf it was obvious that it was the alpha. It was larger than the others, and had a commanding air about it. And an Alpha wasn't something that should be taken lightly. They would have no chance of getting past the Alpha with just three of them. They had crossed into pack territory to chase the wolf and they were going to pay for it with their lives.

The wolves surrounded them and cut them down in seconds. Once they were taken care of the wolves turned towards the brown wolf. It lay unmoving with it's head laid on the ground. It's leg was openly bleeding, it's brown fur was matted with blood and sweat, and it's eyes were closed. It look as if it were dead.

The Alpha walked forward staring at the wolf looking for any sign of life. After staring for several seconds it could see the gentle rise and fall of the wolfs chest. The wolf was asleep, nothing more. Just as the Alpha realized this the wolf began to stir...or at least its body was.

The sound of bones popping in and out of place as they moved and re-positioned themselves, along with corded muscles that shrank and tightened around the now smaller bones as the wolfs body shrank down, hair receding back into the skin, claws and teeth becoming once again fingers and flat teeth. As the now human body laid there the other wolves took in his appearance. Laying on the ground in front of the wolves was a 17 year old boy with shaggy brown hair. He wore a green t-shirt with a black military style jacket that hung open in the front, black pants, and green shoes with black soles and laces.

The Alpha noticed that the boys hands were covered in old bandages, so it looked like he was wearing two white gloves with his fingers exposed. There were multiple scars, and wounds on his body. The Alpha counted at least ten, and that was only on his arms and neck. He couldn't see any more due to his cloths.

But the most shocking thing the Alpha saw was what was around his neck. There were three identical necklaces around his neck. Each one was a crescent moon with a wolf sitting in the curve of the moon howling. The Alpha stepped closer and bent his head towards the necklaces smelling for the boys scent. The other wolves made sounds of surprise when they saw the necklaces around the boys neck. The Alpha thought for a minute and then made a decision.

The other wolves watched as the Alpha shrank back down into a human picking the boy up onto his back, and then turning back into a wolf leaving the boy on his back. And with that the Alpha and the other wolves started the journey back to the camp where they stayed.


	2. Chapter 2: Ulrich

**Hey guys. Did you like the last chapter? Who's the mysterious boy with the necklaces? Why are the necklaces so important? What were the creatures that were chasing him? Follow this boy on his journey to figure out who he is, where he came from, what happened to his parents, and what he's supposed to do in the pack. Not to mention his sudden atraction to the Alpha's daughter Yumi.**

**PS: I'm pretty sure you already know who the boy is from the clothing I described, his hair, and the fact that he likes Yumi.**

_He was eight years old, and in the forest. Alone. The last thing he can remember was being a human, and then turning into a wolf in order to get away from Them. Everything before that was a blank, as if it had been wiped from his memory. He managed to get away, and found some shelter in a cave to become human again. _

He bolted up from the ground his dream fading away, as he woke. That was his first memory. The first he could remember at least. It had been happening a lot since he entered the forest. It was as if the forest triggered the memory in his mind.

Wait. He wasn't in the forest. He was in a large tent made out of furs and pelts. He was laying on a fur pelt on the ground probably intended for sleep. He looked around the tent. It was ten feet long and about seven feet wide. There were several pelts next to his laid out on the ground as a flooring. It was empty except for a few personal belonging of whoever's tent this was, and a few bags.

He looked up at the doorway as the pelt covering the entrance was pulled to the side. A middle aged Japanese man, and a young girl around his age walked in. The man was average height and weight, He had black hair that hung down in his eyes, and wore a pair of black pants and a shirt. His shoes were black as well, and he carried a walking stick in one hand, and a knife at his belt.

The girl was a little older that him. She had black shoulder length hair, and wore a black shirt with a white open jacket, and white pants and shoes. He also noted with interest that they both wore the same necklace around their necks that he did. A blue crescent moon with a golden wolf on it howling.

He resisted the urge to look down at his own necklaces. He looked at the girl again. She was pretty, more than pretty. She was beautiful. As he looked at her he had a feeling in his chest. It was strange and he'd never felt it before. He quickly looked away wanting it to stop.

He was drawn out of his thoughts as the man with the staff spoke.

"Hello. My name is Takeo Ishiyama, and this is my daughter Yumi." he said pointing to himself and the girl. His gaze flickered back to the girl as the man said her name, but he quickly looked back at the man he now knew to be Takeo. "We took you to our camp, and treated your wounds. None of your wounds were very bad, and are healer says that you'll make a full recovery in a few days." Takeo continued. Still he said nothing.

Takeo's POV

The boy hasn't said anything yet. He just stared at him. Takeo waited a few more seconds before,

"What's your name, boy?" he asked trying to coax a response out of him. But he didn't say anything. He just kept sitting there. Maybe the boy was afraid or thought he was in danger, so he wasn't talking. "We're not going to harm you boy. You don't have to be afraid of us." Takeo said hoping the boy would trust him. The boy looked at him, raising an eyebrow in question. It seemed to say,_ Why would I be afraid of you?_ It wasn't much of a reaction from him, but it was a start. He was about to ask another question when his daughter spoke up.

"Please, we just need to understand whats going on. I can tell from your reaction to my fathers question that you aren't afraid of us, right?" she said. Takeo was about to scold his daughter for interrupting when the boy nodded his head in response to her question without any hesitation. He decided to watch for a second, and see what would happen. "The necklaces that you wear around your neck are the symbol of our pack. It means you're one of us." she continued. He noticed that the boy seemed to be listening intently to her. "We need to know where you got them, how you got them, who you are, and we need to understand what's going on." she spoke gently and reassuringly, and it seemed that the boy trusted her. "I promise whatever the answers are you won't be in any trouble. So. Will you answer our question? Please." she added as an afterthought. This time the boy did hesitant. And he wasn't surprised. She was asking him to reveal the fact that he could have stolen the necklaces, or hurt the person they belonged to. He may not want to tell them.

Boy's POV

Slowly the boy began nodding. He couldn't explain it, but he felt like he could trust this girl, Yumi. He felt like he knew her somehow from an old life. He could tell she would keep her promise of keeping him safe no matter what his answers were.

Takeo's POV

He was impressed with his daughter. She had gotten more out of this boy in thirty seconds than he had gotten out of him in the entire time they'd been there. It seemed as if the boy seemed to trust her, and would listen to her. He had an idea. His daughter was about to ask another queston, but he cut her off.

"Yumi may I speak to outside for a second?" Takeo asked. She looked at him in surprise, but got up and followed him out side the tent.

The boy frowned. he didn't want the girl to leave. Once they were outside he turned around to talk, but Yumi beat him to it.

"Why did you do that? He was starting to open up, and you interrupted." she said.

"I know that Yumi." he said.

"So what did you want to tell me?" she said in exasperation. He hesitated before going on to his idea.

"I want you to go back in and ask him the questions without me being there." he said. Yumi was shocked.

"W-why do you want me to?" she asked. It wasn't the fact that she didn't want to. It was just that she didn't expect her father to trust her to do it without him there.

"He trusts you." he told her. She looked at him with confusion. "He answered you without hesitation when I could barely get him to raise his eyebrow. I don't know why but he trusts you, and I think that you could get more out of him if I wasn't there." Yumi thought about what he had said and she had to admit that he had a point. The boy did seem to trust her more than her father.

"Ok." she said. Her father relaxed a bit at her words. "But where will you be?" she asked. Her father looked around at the fifty or so tents in the clearing that their camp was in.

"I'll gather a few of the others and explain the situation." he said. She nodded and headed back into the tent.

Boy's POV

The girl walked back in alone. He smiled at her as she sat down, and she returned it. He looked back at the tent door wondering why her dad hadn't returned yet. She saw what he was doing and said,

"He wants me to speak to you alone. He has some things he has to take care of." she told him. He smiled at her in understanding.

Yumi's POV

She looked down at her where her legs were crossed in front of her. She didn't know how she was going to begin.

She looked up at him and began speaking. "So, my dad wants me to ask you some questions, and he felt that you'd be more comfortable without him here." she said. He nodded in his understanding. She thought for a minute, and then, "Well, I'm not really sure how to start, so why don't we just start with the basics." she said. He nodded again. "You heard my father say my name's Yumi, so what's your name?" He didn't say anything, but he reached up to one of the necklaces around his neck turning it over to show her the back of it. She could see an engraving in it. She leaned forward reaching out her hand to cup the necklace in her hand. This caused her to get closer to him which for a reason she couldn't fathom made her blush a deep red. She couldn't explain it, but every time she looked at him she got this feeling in the pit of her stomach. And she couldn't help but feel like she knew him from somewhere, but she couldn't figure out where she had known him.

She looked at the engraving on the back and saw that it had the name Ulrich on it. "Ulrich. That's your name?" she said. He nodded. She sat back thinking for a moment. His name definitely sounded familiar. She couldn't quite place it, but...

_Flashback_

_"Where are you guys going to go?" she asked a six year old boy with brown hair and green eyes. _

_"My parents say that we're going to live in the city for a while, and then we'll find somewhere safe where we won't endanger the pack anymore. He looked down at his feet as he said it._

_"I don't want you to leave." she said. He was one of her best friends. _

_"I don't want to leave either." he said. "But my parents say we have to. To protect the pack."_

_It was time for them to go. Her father and her were standing at the edge of the camp with the boy and his parents. Her father took his parents off to the side to talk without them hearing which left them alone. She stepped forward hugging him tight. He hugged her back. " I'll never forget you Ulrich." she said. _

_"And I'll never forget you Yumi." he said pulling away. She looked at him for a second, and then faster then he could think she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, turning bright red. When she finally looked up at him she saw that he was also blushing bright red. Before any of them could say anything their parents came back and he was walking away into the forest with them waving back at her._

_End Flashback_

"I know you!" she said her eyes widening. "I thought you looked familiar, but I couldn't figure out why. But now I remember. You were part of the pack years ago, but you and your parents left when you were six. We were best friends!" she said almost shouting. The look on his face didn't change. He just looked at her as if he didn't remember anything about what she was talking about. Then a thought struck her. She looked at him with a question in her eyes. "Ulrich, do you remember anything about me?" she asked. He just shook his head no. "Do you remember anything about your parents or your time with the pack?" Again he shook his head no. "How far back can you remember?" she asked. Again he didn't say anything, he just held up eight fingers. "Eight years?" she said. He nodded. She sat back trying to process the information. She sat there thinking before she looked up at him again. She held her gaze looking into his eyes as he looked into her.

And it was like a telepathic link had connected them together. She looked into his eyes, and she could read him like a book. Every movement he made, every flick of his eyes, and every emotion that peaked through she could see, and understand. This shocked her. She hadn't seen him and years.

She looked down at his hands, and for the first time noticed that his hands were covered in bandage wraps leaving only his fingers uncovered. She looked back up, and again that link came back.

"What happened to your hands?" she asked worry in her voice. She saw it in his eyes. The look of confusion that a person only gets when they don't know something. Whatever it was that had happened he couldn't remember. He shrugged in response to her question.

That was beginning to confuse her. She could tell that he trusted her, and yet he hadn't said a word to her yet. She had thought that he hadn't spoken to her father because he didn't trust him, but it was just her now and he still hadn't spoken. Her eyes widened as she thought of something.

"Ulrich, c-can you speak?" she asked him. He shook his head no. She thought over everything that she had learned for a few minutes and then she slowly stood up. "I've got to go for a little bit ok. I'll be back latter." she said. She could tell that he didn't want her to leave. He may not remember her, but that was still that familiarity. That was probably the reason he had trusted her so easily. She gave him one last smile before leaving through the tent flap. She spotted her father standing close by with all of her friends, talking. Her friends, Odd, Aeltia, and Jeremy.

She walked over to them. Her father saw her and turned.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"It went well. It was just a little shocking." she answered. Her father looked at her in confusion.

"Why was it shocking?" he asked her.

"Do you remember eleven years ago when the Sterns left the pack?" she asked. He looked at her with a questioning look.

"Yes." he said.

"That's their son, Ulrich." she told him and her friends. Their eyes widened. Ulrich had been friends with all of them before he left, and they had all missed him badly. Her father looked at the tent where Ulrich was.

"Ulrich." he said. "I don't believe it." Then he thought of something. "If that's Ulrich then why didn't he recognize me? He should have a least remembered my name." he said. She looked at him sadly.

"That's the problem. He doesn't remember." she said. They all looked at her in confusion. "He has amnesia." she told them. "And has had it for eight years." There was shock written all over their faces. Her father turned back to the tent where Ulrich was. He stood there staring for a moment before saying,

"I sense that there are tough times ahead for us, and Ulrich." he said leaning on his staff. The others looked at him confused.

"Dad?" Yumi asked. He looked back at her.

"I've met people with amnesia before. They become a completely different person then they were before. It'll take some getting used to. And it usually takes years to get even fragments of their memories, and that's if they find them.

"Can we do anything to help him?" Odd asked. Besides Yumi he had been Ulrich's closest friend. Takeo shook his head.

"We can tell him about his past, and show him familiar things, but there is no guarantee that they will have any affect on his memory." Takeo said. They all stood there taking in the information they were given. Then Aeltia stepped forward.

"Can we see him?" she asked. The others looked up at him hopefully. He could tell that they all wanted to see their old friend, but he didn't want to overwhelm him with all of the new faces. He shook his head no.

"I don't want to overwhelm him. You can all see him tomorrow, but for now lets let him rest. He's been through a lot." he said. He could tell they were reluctant too agree, but after a few seconds they all began to nod their acceptance. He left after that. Ulrich was sleeping in his and Yumi's tent, so he and Yumi would be sleeping in a temporary tent set up close by. Normally he would take Yumi with him, but he could tell they all wanted to talk privately. So he left them to themselves.


	3. Chapter 3: Talk Amoung Friends

**Hey guys. How's it going? Did you like the last chapter? It raise a few questions? Like mabye, what caused Ulrich to have anmeasia? What happened to his parents? Who's necklaces were teh other two around his neck? And will him and Yumi survive another day without getting embarased about their atractions to one another? Read to find out!**

Mixed POV

Once Yumi's dad left they all gathered around one of the many fires in the camp. No one spoke at first. They were still thinking things over. Then Odd spoke up.

"So it's really Ulrich in there?" Yumi nodded.

"Ya. I didn't believe it at first, but when he showed me the ingraving on the back of his necklace I knew it was him." she said.

"Just think. All these years we thought he was safe and sound with his parents when really he's been running from those creatures since he was nine. That's rough." Jeremy said.

"I feel sorry for him." Aelita said looking into the fire.

Yumi's mind flashed back to the bandages on his hands. Something bad must have happened to them if they had been covered since before he lost his memory. Mabye he did remember what happened, but just didn't want to tell her?

"I wonder what happened to his hands?" Yumi said. The others looked at her.

"What's wrong with his hands?" Aeltai asked. Yumi looked up at them.

"He had his hands covered in white bandages. The only part of his hands that's uncovered is his finger. Something bad must have happened because apparently they've been there since he lost his memory." she told them.

"That long?" Jeremy said in shock. She nodded.

"Ya." she said. There was silence for several minutes after that. Yumi was about to say something else when Ulrich walked out of the tent, and looked around for something. She wasn't sure if she souldn't go get him, or just leave him alone. Aelita's next words snapped her out of her train of thought.

"What are you looking at Yumi?" she asked. The others followed her line of sight until they saw Ulrich. It had been years since they had seen him, and he was just a kid then, so none of them recognized him at first. Then Odd saw the bandages on his hands.

"Is that-" Odd said, but he never finished. Yumi nodded.

"Do you guys want me to go get him?" she asked. The others nodded quickly wanting to see Ulrich after all these years. Yumi stood up, and walked over to him. As soon as he saw her he smiled a greeting, but didn't say anything as usual.

"Hey." she said as she got closer. He nodded to her. She pointed a thumb behind her at where the others where waiting. "How would you like to meet some of your old friends from when you were still with the pack." she said.

He looked quickly over her shoulder at where she was pointing at the others. He held his gaze for a few seconds as he seemed to make a decision. He looked back at her, and slowly nodded. She lead him to the fire and she sat down in her old spot motioning for him to sit next to her. He did.

The akwardness of the moment could be cut with a butter knife. No one knew what to say, or do, and Ulrich just sitting there didn't help. Yumi was about to speak up when Ulrich beat her to it.

He pointed at Yumi, and then touched his lips. And then pointing at the others he tapped his head pointing at himself. The others looked at him like he had just sprouted a second head. Yumi had forgoten to tell them that he couldn't speak. Speaking quickly she said,

"He can't speak, so he used gestures and signs to mirror his words." she explained. The others nodded their understanding.

"So what did he just say?" Aelita asked.

"He told you that I said you used to know him." she told them. Ulrich looked over at her. It hadn't escaped his attention that she'd been able to translate his movements preciecly, as if he'd said it out loud. Odd spoke up in response to what he'd said.

"Ya. We were all close friends before you left." The others nodded their agreement. Ulrich tapped the necklaces at his neck, but the others didn't understand what it meant.. Ulrich looked to Yumi for help. She smile. She liked the fact that she understood him when no one else could.

"He wants to know your names." she said.

"I'm Odd." Odd said raising his hands. Ulrich raised an eyebrow examining his cloths. Odd was wearing a purple long-sleve shirt with purple pants, and white shoes with a purple outline. His hair was blonde, and spiked up in a cone with a purple speck in the middle. Around his neck, like the others, was a cresent moon necklace with a wolf, the pack's symbol.

Ulrich made a kind of sign with his hand before pointing to his necklace again. Odd looked to Yumi for translation.

"He said you look knid of odd, but what's your name." she said with a smile. The others including Odd burst out laughing. Ulrich looked at them with a confused expression.

Chuckling slightly Yumi leaned over to Ulrich saying, "No Ulrich. He meant his **name** is Odd." He looked at her for a second and then shrugged his shoulders pointing to his necklace again as if to say, '_Ok, but what's his name?'_. Yumi shook her head saying,

"No I mean his name is literaly Odd. As in, Hey Odd." Ulrich nodded as he realized what she was saying. By now the others had recovered enough to stop laughing. Aeltia raised her hand to get Ulrich's attention, still smiling.

"I'm Aelita." she said. Jeremy did the same.

"And I'm Jeremy." Odd leaned over grabbing Jeremy by the head and giving him a nuggie saying,

"But we all call him Einstein because he's got a big brain." Jeremy made a few noises of protest as Odd continued to mess with his head, but Ulrich had stopped listening when Odd had said the word Einstein. He closed his eyes thinking hard. His head began to hurt, and he felt a little dizzy.

"Ulrich, are you ok?" Yumi asked him, but he didn't hear her.

_Flashback_

_Ulrich, Odd, Aelita, Yumi, and Jeremy were all playing in the forest near the tribe's camp. Odd and Jeremy ended up wrestling. Well, Odd was wrestling. Jeremy was just rolling around trying to get him off. _

_"Come on Einstein you can do better than that." Odd said jokingly as he and Jeremy continued to roll around on the ground. Sighing, Yumi walked over and picked Odd up off of Jeremy, ending the wrestling competition._

_End Flashback_

The memory ended, and he found himself back at the fire with the others. Yumi had a hand on his shoulder watching him intently, and the others were looking at him with concern.

"What happened?" Yumi asked. He looked at them before making a few signs and motions. They all looked at Yumi waiting for her to translate. She looked at them with wide eyes.

"He remembers us." she said.


	4. Chapter 4: Swimming in Memories

**Hey guy's. Sorry about the wait. Hoped you liked the last chapter. I know it was short, but once the story gets going the chapters will get longer. I usually write chapters with at least two to three thousand words. So, can anyone guess what the creatures chasing Ulrich are? If you do put it in the comments. **

**Anyway, back to the story!**

Ulrich's POV

His eyes opened once more. He was in the tent he had first woken up in. He looked up through the hole in the peak of the tent that let the light in. It was morning. Putting his back to the tent door he reached over for his green shirt.

If he hadn't turned away from the door he would have seen Yumi pull the tent flap to the side, and walk in.

Upon seeing him without a shirt on she froze halfway into the tent. She swallowed hard, looking at the toned muscles on his back. She bit her lip as she watched the muscles ripple across his back with every move he made. He slipped his arms through the shirt pulling it over his head. He turned around pulling it down his chest, and she caught a glimps of hard abs along his stomach just before his shirt covered it up.

He saw her standing there, and raised an eyebrow in question. Shaking herself out of her trance she said, "The others and I are eating breakfast outside, and they want you to join us." He slipped his shoes on and lastly his jacket, following her outside.

Mixed POV

There were a few werewolves that he didn't know sitting around eating by themselves or in groups. Some where children, and some where teenagers like them. There were a few adults around, but he figured the others were off hunting. Yumi lead him to a circle of tents that he guessed belonged to the others. Inside the circle of tents was a cooking fire with the others gathered around it. He noticed that there were three others he didn't know. Two girls and a boy. They were about two years younger than him. The boy had black hair, and was definitely Japanese, probably Yumi's younger brother. One girl had red hair set in two ponytails, and the other had dark skin and black hair in a single ponytail.

He and Yumi sat down in the open space on the edge of the circle. Yumi handed him a plate of meat and vegetables before grabbing one for herself.

"Hey Ulrich." the others said in greeting. He nodded, and then looked at the three people he had yet to meet. When no one seemed to notice that he was waiting for someone to introduce them to him he turned to Yumi getting her attention. He raised an eyebrow in question nodding his head towards the three. Yumi seemed to come to with a start, as if her brain had caught up to her.

"Oh, right." she said getting everyones attention. "Ulrich this is my little brother Hiroki" she said pointing to the boy, "And this is Milly." She was pointing to the girl with red hair now. "And this is Taimya." Pointing to the last of the three. They waved in greeting to him, and he nodded in return.

The boy named Hiroki spoke up. "So this is Ulrich. Yumi's been talking about you a lot." And then, much to Yumi's dismay, he said, "So are you Yumi's boyfriend now or something?" Ulrich nearly choked on his food, as Hiroki asked that. Sure he liked Yumi from the start, but he wanted to get to know her before he even thought of that. Before he could come up with a good response however Yumi interrupted.

"Hiroki! Stop asking questions. Ulrich just got here. Do you really think he wants to answer that?" she said. All though Aelita couldn't help but wonder if Yumi didn't want Hiroki to spill about how she's been obsessing with Ulrich since he got here.

Ulrich looked at Yumi greatfully, and she smiled in return. Then remembering what Hiroki had asked them both Ulrich and Yumi looked back at their food blushing. Then Odd spoke up.

"Hey guys I found this lake out in the forest, and was wondering if anyone wanted to go swimming after breakfast." Odd asked the group.

"I will." Aelita spoke up immeadeatly after Odd. She hadn't been swimming in a long time, and she was eager to go. Plus she wanted to spend time with Odd. Hiroki, Milly, and Taimya all agreed to go. So did Jeremy. Yumi looked at him.

"Do you want to go?" she asked. He thought about it, and after a few seconds he nodded. Yumi told Odd that they would go too.

Everyone hurried to finish their food so they could leave. They all got up with Ulrich following Yumi. They passed several tents on their way through the camp. Outside one of the smaller tents was a black haired boy about Yumi's age. As they came closer the boy got up and started walking towards them. When he reached them he looked at Ulrich.

"Hey, your that new guy Ulrich right?" he asked. Ulrich nodded. The boy continued. "Can I talk to you for a second?" the boy asked jerking his head over to his tent. But before Ulrich could do anything Yumi grabbed his arm, and began pulling him along with the others as they kept walking.

"He's not interested in talking to you." she told the boy. Anger flashed in his eyes, but he walked away. As Yumi continued to drag him Ulrich raised an eyebrow at her in queston. "That's William. He's a hotheaded guy who thinks he can order everyone around. He probably wanted to tell you how things 'work' around here. Like how he's in charge, and you have to do what he say's or he'll make you pay. But really he's just blowing hot air." she said. "Plus he's obsessed with the idea that I'll be his mate one day." Yumi said this last part with a bit of anger in her voice. Ulrich could tell this William character had given her a lot of trouble in the past, and that Yumi held little to no regard for him.

They caught up with the others at the edge of the forest, and continued walking. Odd led them through twists and turns, trees and branches, and bushes and undergrowth. Until they came out of the trees into a large clearing with a lake in it. The clearing was littered with flowers of different kinds. The lake was fed by a small brook that ran from a small opening between two large boulders. Ulrich could only guess where the hole led too. Maybe a cave.

"Wow. This place is great." Aelita said looking around at the scene before them. Odd started running towards the water.

"Come on guys! We won't get to go swimming if we don't get in the water!" he yelled as everyone watched him. Pulling his shirt off as he went Odd cannon balled into the water shouting. Laughing at Odds enthusiasm they ran forward to the edge of the lake taking off their extra clothing, and splashing into the water to join Odd. The next few hours was filled with splashing, dunking, running, diving, and the boys occasionally tackling each other into the water.

After a few hours Milly, Taimya, Hiroki, and Jeremy all had to leave. Which just left her, Ulrich, Odd, and Aelita.

Yumi's POV

All thought she kept busy splashing around with the others she was continually distracted by Ulrich. He didn't try to distract her, nor did she believe he realized the effect he was having on her, but she couldn't help it. Seeing him splashing around in the water without a shirt on was repeatedly distracting her. She was also being distracted by his not so hidden scars. That morning when she had walked in on him dressing she hadn't noticed the multitude of scars littered across his back, but now she could see them plain as day. The sheer amount of them shocked her. She wondered what he'd been through in the last few years to have that many.

She was roused from her thoughts as Aelita whispered in her ear, "You know, if you keep staring at him he's going to notice eventually." she said making her blush. "Mabye I should tell him myself." Aelita said in a teasing voice. Yumi smiled in return.

"Mabye I should tell Odd about how you've been crushing on him for a year now." she said with a smirk causing Aelita to look away blushing before saying,

"Y-you know about that?" Yumi looked at her as if she had just said the dumbest thing ever.

"Seriously Aelita?" she said. "From the way you look at him, and the way you act around him it's obvious that you like him." Aelita looked at her with worry.

"Is it really that obvious?" she said with her eyes wide. "He doesn't know does he?" Aelita had went from happy, and teasing to worried and anxious in a matter of seconds.

"Aelita don't worry." Yumi said. "I'm pretty sure the only person in our group that doesn't know you like him is Odd himself." Aelita calmed down at her words. "What are you worried about anyway?" Aelita looked at her questioningly.

"I don't want to make things akward between us." she said. Now it was Yumi's turn to be confused.

"Why would it make things akward?" Yumi asked.

"Because I know Odd doesn't like me back." Aelita said sadly. Yumi looked at her as if she was nuts.

"But Aelita, Odd does like you." she said. Aelita looked starstruck.

"He does?" shes said a little to loudly.

"Ya, I do." Odd said beside them making them both jump. A little behind Odd was Ulrich. They had both forgoten that the boys were still there. Upon noticing Odd Aelita grew as red as a tomato, and then once she realized what Odd had said she looked at him with amazment.

"You do?" she said quietly. Odd nodded at her, smiling. Aelita took a step towards him still staring at him. Yumi swam over to Ulrich, and began dragging him towards the edge of the water.

"Lets give them some alone time." she said, and he nodded. Her and Ulrich got out of the water walking towards the edge of the clearing. Ulrich didn't fail to notice that Yumi didn't bother to grab her shirt and pants to put them back on, but simply walked out of the clearing in the cloths she had been swimming in which was couinsidently her underwear. The entire time they had been swimming he couldn't help but stare at her beauty. She was the most beautifull person he's ever met, and seeing her like this made him want to just go up and kiss her.

As they reached the edge of the clearing they looked back to see Aelita's arms wrapped around Odds neck, and his around her waist as they shared a kiss. Ulrich and Yumi left the clearing and began walking down a path.

"So what sould we do until they've finished their little moment?" Yumi said the last bit in a joking manor. Ulrich just shrugged his shoulders. They kept walking in silence for a few seconds when out of nowhere Ulrich heard a voice as soft as a whisper.

"_Ulrich..." _it said. He froze as he heard it listening. It sounded familiar. Yumi stopped and looked at him.

"You ok?" she asked.

"_Ulrich..."_ it said again. He turned his head towards it listening.

"Ulrich?" Yumi said. "You there?" He didn't respond. It was as if Yumi couldn't hear it.

"_ULRICH!"_ the voice screamed. Upon hearing the scream Ulrich was galvanised into action, and he took of in the direction of the voice. He heard Yumi shout at him, but he kept going.

"_Ulrich..." _the voice said again. He ran through bushes and undergrowth, vines and branches, trees and shrubs.

"_Ulrich..." _the voice said again. The ovice was louder this time, as if Ulrich was closer. He was comming up on a clearing. Just as he reached the edge of the clearing the voice screamed again, but it was a different voice this time.

"_ULRICH!"_ it said. And then the voices stopped and he found himself in the same clearing as before. He looked towards the lake where Odd and Aelita were still in the water. Aelita had her head tucked under Odds chin with her arms around his neck still. Odd had his arms around her waist, and both of them had their eyes closed. Neither noticed him enter the clearing. Yumi caught up with him saying.

"Hey. What happened? What's wrong?" she said as he looked at her in confusion. He pointed at his ear. "You heard something?" she said. He nodded. "What'd you hear?"

He touched his mouth. "You heard a voice?" she asked. Again he nodded. "Do you know who's it was?" she asked him. And he shook his head. By then Odd and Aelita had noticed them at the edge of the trees and had stepped apart blushing. Yumi waved at them before turning back to him. "Do you have any idea what the voice was?" she asked. He shook his head again. "Do want to talk about, and figure it out?" He tought about it for a few seconds before shaking his head no, and making a sign with his hands that said, "_Later, but not now._" Yumi nodded and they ran over to the lake joining Odd and Aelita in the water again. When they got to the water Odd was swimming over to the opening between the boulders where the small brook was flowing out of. He climbed up on the rocks looking into the hole.

"Hey guys, I wonder if this goes anywhere?" he said. Aelita spoke up.

"Uh...Odd I'm not sure you should-" Aelita started, but Odd was allready crawling through it. The hole was only three feet wide and a foot and a half tall. Big enough for about one person the size of a teenager. As Odd's body began to disapear into the hole Aelita looked at them.

"Does anyone else think this is a bad idea?" she asked. Ulrich swam over to the rock, and climbed up looking into the hole Odd had disapeared into. After a few seconds Odd's feet appeared out of the hole, as he crawled out backwards. Ulrich raised an eyebrow at him as he looked up.

"Dead end." he said in disapointment. He and Ulrich swam back over to the girls. They got out of the water, and sat on the shore after getting dressed again.

"So Yumi, where'd you and Ulrich go earlier?" Aelita asked. Yumi looked over at Ulrich.

"Well we were just walking down a path, but then Ulrich started hearing voices and ran off after them." she said earning a surprised look from Odd, and Aelita. "Then we ended up here." she finished.

"Did you find out who's voices they were?" Aelita asked. Ulrich shook his head. Yumi looked over at them.

"I have a feeling that Ulrich was chasing himself." Yumi said. They looked at her like she was crazy.

"Yumi, if you two heard voices then it wasn't himself." Odd said with sarcasm. Yumi smiled.

"Ulrich was the only one that heard the voices. I didn't hear anything." she said.

"Oh." Odd said. "So why did you say he was chasing himself?"

"Because if I didn't hear it then it would have to be something in his head. Like a memory that was trying to claw its way out." she told them. Ulrich looked up at that. He hadn't even considered the possibility that it could be a memory, but if it was he wasn't sure if he wanted to remember. The first voice had been soothing, and quiet. But the louder voice had been a scream of terror and worry.

They got up, and left the clearing. By now it was almost sunset. They had spent the whole day there at the lake, but they had to admit, it had been fun. Odd and Aelita said good night leaving just Ulrich and Yumi. Yumi looked at Ulrich who seemed to be deep in thought.

"My father knows more about amnesia than me. We can ask him about the voices if you want." she told him. He shook his head. He didn't want to involve anyone else with his past. The creatures had been chasing him for as long as he could remember, so whatever had happened in his past caused the creatures to want to kill him. His past was dangerous, and he didn't want to endanger Yumi, or her father. Yumi said goodnight, and they went to their separate tents. He wasn't sleeping in the temporary tent anymore. They had set up a small tent next to his friends, and he walked into it.

Taking off his jacket and shoes leaving him in pants and a shirt he layed down on his sleeping pelt. He didn't know how long he layed there. It could have been hours, it could have been ten minutes. He couldn't stop thinking about the voices he'd heard. They had been so familiar. He was sure of that much. How they were familiar, and where he had heard them he couldn't say. Mabye Yumi was right and they were a memory.

Slowly his eyelids began to close as sleep bagan to take him.

"_Ulrich..."_ His eyes shot open. The voices were back again. He looked around in his tent. "_Ulrich..."_ It seemed to be coming from outside the tent. He got up and walked out. It was around midnight. Everyone was asleep.

"_Ulrich..."_ He looked in the direction of the voice and ran off into the forest.

Yumi's POV

"And you say he heard voices?" he father asked. Yumi nodded. Yumi had gone to her father's tent to see if he could tell her anything about what Ulrich heard. "And you didn't." he continued. Again she nodded. Her father seemed to be thinking for a few minutes before saying,

"Well, let me think on it for a while, and then come talk to me in the morning." her father said before telling her to get some sleep. Yumi thanked her father walking out of the tent. She was about to step inside her own when a movement caught her eye. She looked up in time to see Ulrich disappearing into the forest. Looking at the spot where he'd disappeared she started following him.

Ulrich's POV

He followed the voices through the forest along twisting paths and through trees. He started to think that he'd never find them until he came upon the clearing with the lake again. He stood in the clearing for a few seconds waiting.

"_Ulrich!"_ there it was again. But this one was different from the others. It sounded as if a person was in pain calling for help. He walked forward to the edge of the water.

"_Ulrich!" _His eyes fell on the hole between the boulders. The voice seemed to emanate from the hole. He looked at the small stream running out of it. Odd had been able to get in the hole, but he was bigger than Odd. If he went into the hole then he'd be on his stomach with the water cascading around him. He'd drown if he wasn't careful. He was about to step into the water to swim over to the hole when,

"_Ulrich..."_ There was the quiet voice again. It seemed to be pulling him away from the water's edge. Back into the woods. He wanted to see where the other voice would take him, but the whispering sound of the first voice seemed to entrance him. He followed it back into the woods. He walked through the forest until he was half way back to the camp, and then he saw... Yumi? Her back was to him, and she seemed to be looking for something. He walked up behind her tapping her shoulder.

She jumped spinning around in shock going into a fighting stance. When she saw who he was she relaxed.

"Oh. It's you." she said. He raised an eyebrow. It seemed to say, '_What are you doing out here?'_.

"I could ask you the same question." she told him. "I saw you run off into the woods and followed you." Then looking at him in question. "What are _you_ doing out here?" He pointed to his ear. "You heard the voices again?" she asked. He nodded. "Did you find out where they're leading you?" she asked in excitement. He shook his head no. She calmed down after that thinking. "Do you still hear them?" she asked. He listened for a few moments and when he heard nothing he shook his head. "Well we can always keep looking." she said beginning to walk forward. He shook his head pointing back in the direction the camp. She looked at him in confusion. "You want me to go back?" she said. He nodded. "Why?" she said hurt in her eyes. Didn't he trust her?

He didn't have an answer for her, so he let his eyes do the talking. He locked eyes with her holding his gaze. She looked deep into his eyes reading them. What she saw made her smile. She could see that he trusted her. She may not know what the reason as, but she could tell that there was a reason. Even if he wasn't exactly sure about it himself. Smiling at him she said,

"Fine, but be _careful_ ok." He nodded. She turned and walked off in the direction of the camp. He stood there for a few seconds. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but this was something he had to do on his own. He ran back to the clearing throwing his jacket and shoes on the ground as he dove into the water. He swam over to the opening climbing up onto the rocks. He had to be careful. The stream could drown him if he wasn't. He go down on his stomach and started to go into the hole. It was a fight to climb up the slanted surface of the rock. The water fought against him, and it nearly pushed him back out several times. But he kept going. The water was hitting his face every few seconds, and it was a fight to breath as every time he opened his mouth for a breath water would fill it. Still he kept going. He crawled twenty feet into the hole before his hands hit a rock wall. His heart sank as he remembered Odd's words after coming out of the hole.

_"Dead end."_ A dead end. It was a dead end. He ran his hands over the rock looking for an opening, but he couldn't find one. He would drown if he didn't find one soon. After a few seconds he began to realize that there wasn't an opening in the rock wall. He began to crawl backwards, but his shirt got caught on a rock. No matter how hard her tried her couldn't get it free. There was no way forward, and he couldn't go back because he was caught on a stupid rock.

_Flashback_

_Him and his parents were running through the woods. They were being chased by something. They reached a clearing with a lake, and began to swim across. "Ulrich..." said a soft voice that seemed to call him back to the shore. "Ulrich..." it said again. He stopped and listened. His parents called to him, but he didn't hear them. He began swimming back the direction he had come. His mother cried out, "Ulrich!" her voice was filled with terror at what her son was doing. She called again, "Ulrich!". Her screams seemed to bring him out of his trance, and when he saw what he was doing he turned and swam back towards his parents as something came out of the woods and into the clearing. _

_His parents pulled him up onto some rocks where a small stream trickled out of a gap between the rocks. His dad shoved him toward the hole._

_"Quick, Ulrich hide in here. We'll lead them away, and come find you when it's safe." his father said. _

_"What if it's a dead end?" his mother asked as she looked at the water coming from teh hole. If it was a dead end he would drown. His father shook his head._

_"The water has to be coming from somewhere. It can't be a dead end." he said as he shoved Ulrich towards the hole._

_End Flashback_

Ulrich opened his eyes again. The water was coming from somewhere. He had to find where. It was cascading down from above him hitting his back, and looking up he saw an opening wehre the water was falling from. Looking back at where his shirt was caught he reached down pulling on it, but it wouldn't come free. Anger filling his eyes he grabed onto the collar of his shirt using his werewolf strength to rip it in two like paper. Pulling himself up through the opening above he was plunged under water. He opened his eyes to find himself floating in a tunnel filled completely with water where it flowed down into the tunnel he was just in. The water made it to dark to see far into the tunnel, but he knew he wouldn't reach the end before he drowned. He was about to turn back and go back out the tunnel when,

"_Ulrich!"_ The voice filled with pain again. But it was quieter than before, as if it was dying. He began to swim down the tunnel towards the voice. He had to know what was calling him here.

As he swam forward he began loosing more and more air. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a piece of metal shinning in the water. "_Ulrich!_" The voice seemed to be coming from it. He swam forward reaching out for it. It was wedged between two rocks. If it wasn't for the rocks the metal would have flowed away with the current. After a few seconds he pryed it free holding it firmly in his hand. He was beginning to become light headed. He needed air, now. He turned around and swam back the direction he came from. He reached the entrance to the first tunnel. He fell down feet first. Laying down on his back he straightened out his legs, and crossed his arms across his chest, tucking in his head letting the current of the water take him back down the tunnel like a slide until he shot from the entrance and landed in the lake. He opened his eyes under the water as he began to swim up. His hands came up passed the surface of the water, but before his head could break the surface a hand grabbed onto his ankle stopping him from getting air. He fought against the person that held him but he couldn't get his head above the water, just his hands. As his vision began to fade from lack of oxygen he was filled with rage. He hadn't come this far for that little piece of metal only to die because of some random person that wanted him dead. His hands went back under the water grabbing the wrist of the person and using his werewolf strength to break his wrist causing it to let go. His head broke the surface gasping for breath. He swam to the shore crawling up out of the water, and falling into a fighting stance as he turned looking back at what ever had grabbed him. After a few seconds one of the creatures that had been chasing him crawled out of the water holding it's injured wrist.

It stared at him with red eyes full of hate. Ulrich nearly fell forward from shock at what happened next.

"_Ulrich..."_ The soft, soothing voice from before that had been calling him away from the lake seemed to come from the creature's mind and into his. Ulrich's eyes widened.

_Flashback_

_Ulrich had just crawled into the hole after his dad had shoved him towards it and he and Ulrich's mother had begun to lead the creatures away. Ulrich looked back through the entrance and his heart leaped into his throat as one of the creatures broke off from the others running over towards him. He started crawling up the tunnel. He reached a dead end, but remembering his dads words he looked for where the water came from. He saw an opening above him, and crawling through he began swimming through the much deeper water. He could hear the creature behind him, and as he kept swimming he began to hear the voices from before. It came from the creature compelling him to turn around and swim towards it, but he fought against it swimming away. The creature managed to catch up to him, and one of it's claws caught one of two necklaces from around his neck. The string broke and the piece of metal that was on it fell and got wedged between two rocks._

_End Flashback_

His eyes narrowed as he studied the creature. It was the same one from when he was a kid. The creature had been using the voices to keep him away from the clearing so that he wouldn't find whatever the piece of metal was. Whatever these creatures wanted it was clear that they didn't want him to find his memory.

Rage filled his eyes as the creature continued to use the voice to try and mesmerize him like before. Hair began to grow out of his arms. His eyes flashed gold, and his claws and teeth came out. He walked towards the creature slowly. The creature seemed to think that he had been mesmerize by the voices. As he neared it the creature brought its clawed hand up in the air to slash at his throat, but before the creature could bring it down on him his hand shot out gripping the creatures throat. The creature froze as its air supply was cut off, and fear showed in its eyes as it realized that he hadn't been mesmerized.

He tightened his grip on the creature breaking its neck, killing it. He dropped the creature's body on the ground his body turning back to normal.

He was back at his tent in the camp. He looked down at the piece of metal in his hand to find it was a ring. It was a band of silver metal with an intricate green emerald set in the top of the band. He turned it around in his hand noticing an engraving on the inside. It read, '_kmaucxl kimudum_'. Somehow he knew that it meant _'friends forever'. _He knew it was his, but that was all he knew. He didn't know where it came from, how he got it, or why it was important. Sighing as he looked at it he slipped the ring onto his finger looking at it on his bandaged hands.

He laid down on his blanket in his tent closing his eyes and letting sleep take him.

_He was back in the tunnel swimming away from the creature. He'd just lost his ring, and kick the creature away causing it to get pulled back out of the hole by the current of the water. He kept swimming until he saw a light at the end. He swam faster towards it. He reached it coming up from the water gasping for breath._

His eyes shot open, and he bolted up from where he was laying.


	5. Chapter 5:Hunting Lessons and Girl Talk

**Hey guys. I'm sorry I haven't been updating recently. I know it's been two weeks. Three actually, but I was a church camp then. The reason I haven't updated is because I've been having a 'writer's block'. I have plenty of idea's for this story, but most of them won't happen until further down the story, and it was hard to fill in the blanks in between. But hopefully I'll be updating more often again. Did you like the last chapter? I did. Why don't the creatures want Ulrich to get his memory back? What happened to his parents after they led the creatures away in his flashback? What's going to happen next? Read and find out.**

Ulrich's POV

He slowly opened his eyes as he came back from the world of dreams into the waking world. He sat up in the tent looking around seeing that it was empty aside from him. It had been a week since he'd found the ring, and he was no closer to finding anything about it than when he had started. He stood up walking over to where his cloths were. Slipping his shirt over his shoulders and then his jacket. He always slept in his pants so he already had them on. He slipped his shoes on, and stepped out side. Yumi was waiting for him outside the tent.

They had developed a kind of pattern. He'd wake up, Yumi would be waiting for him to go to breakfast, him and his friends would talk and kid around for a bit while Yumi taught him the ways of the pack. He liked spending time with Yumi. Something about it just felt right. She was always the first one to understand what his signs meant. Even when the others understood him sometimes she would always be first.

He spend a lot of time around Odd as well. Besides Yumi Odd seemed to be his closest friend. Maybe they had been friends before he'd left the pack? He wasn't really sure, and he didn't really care either. They were friends now, and that's all that mattered. And then there was that jerk William. William hadn't stopped like Yumi said and had persistently tried to get him alone to talk to him. But he'd listened to Yumi's advice and hadn't even given William a thought, but William's persistence was annoying. And sooner or latter he'd have to do something about it.

He and Yumi walked over to the fire where the others were eating breakfast. The food they had every day wasn't that bad. It was basically any meat that the hunters in the pack could find. And then they'd take it back the the pack's camp to gut the animals, and cook them. There weren't many vegetables and when there were they were always berries or something. The wolf side of them only needed to eat meat, but the human side of them needed vegetables and meat. So every once and a while the hunters would come back with berries or the occasional herb that they found. It was difficult to find the vegetables for werewolves. They're better at hunting animals instead of fruit. The others looked up from their food as he and Yumi sat down.

"Hey guys." Odd said waving.

"Ya, hey." Aelita said.

"Hi." added Jeremy. He waved in response, and Yumi said hi. They both grabbed some food and began eating.

"Hey Ulrich. Are you gonna finish yours?" Odd said pointing at his food. Ulrich smiled. Since he'd been here he'd learned that Odd was a walking stomach. Some people got thirds. Well Odd got sevenths and eighths. There wasn't any time of day when Odd wasn't hungry, and he was always asking everybody for there food. Ulrich didn't say anything in response to his question, but continued eating.

"Hey Ulrich." Odd said. He looked up at him. "We still going on a hunt later?" he asked. Ulrich nodded in response. Odd had agreed to teach Ulrich to hunt this afternoon. It would be his first hunt, or at least his first proper hunt. He had hunted in the past, but he never actually learned to hunt, or at least he didn't remember learning. When he'd hunted in the past he'd been sloppy, and had often gone hungry several nights in a row. When he did eat it was usually squirrel or some other animal that wasn't fast enough to out run him in his weakened state. His hunger was the main reason he was so skinny, but his time with the pack had helped him fill out again due to the food they had given him. And he was eager to learn how to hunt properly.

Yumi looked over and Aelita. "So what are we going to do while they're off hunting?" Yumi asked her. Ulrich didn't hear her response due to Odd getting his attention again.

"So how do you feel about your first hunt?" Odd asked him. He shrugged in response. In truth Ulrich felt nervous about it, but ever since he stopped speaking it was difficult to communicate and often people had to guess what he was thinking. "Nervous?" Odd asked. He nodded and held his hand up palm down in a 'kind of' motion. Odd smiled. "Well I'm a fairly good hunter and I have a feeling with a little practice and me teaching you you'll be a great hunter." Odd told him. Ulrich nodded in response. He turned back to the girls conversation.

"Maybe we could go swimming again?" Aelita asked Yumi. Yumi looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head no.

"No we swam just yesterday. I'm tired of it." Yumi said in exasperation. Aelita sighed as she laid her plate down on the ground with the others, except for Odd's since he was still eating.

Ulrich waited for Odd to finish his food then they headed out. Odd took him into the forest and began instructing him on the hunt. He taught him how to track and stalk a deer, taught him how to out smart a fox, and showed him how to kill it quickly and efficiently. Odd wasn't the best instructor he could have had, but he was good enough.

"Alright Ulrich." Odd said, "I've taught you how to track and stalk prey. Now lets see how you do in a real hunt." Odd said. Ulrich nodded transforming into his wolf form running off. He'd be doing this alone without Odd's help, and he wasn't going to mess it up.

He quickly found some deer tracks next to some scat. He sniffed it picking up the trail of the deer. It was far based on the scent, so he didn't bother stalking or hiding until he was within half a mile. He stalked forward towards the deer's location. It was about twenty yards away, and he was crouched low in some tall grass. He watched as the deer grazed on some grass for a few seconds waiting for his chance to take it down.

The deer's head shot up as it caught a scent. It tensed ready to bolt. If he didn't take it now he'd loose it. He shot forward closing the distance between him and the deer in seconds. One paw coming up to land on the deer's shoulder pushing it onto its side, the other landing on its head pinning it. His jaws closed around its throat killing it. His wolf side gained control over his human side for a few seconds as he tasted blood. He waited until it passed, and then raised his head up from the deer. He saw Odd in his wolf form sitting a few yards away. He changed back into human, and Odd did the same. Odd tossed him a skinning knife. He looked at it confused. Odd pointed to the deer.

"Normal wolves would just eat it with all the guts and all, but since we're humans as well we're a bit more advanced then them." Odd said. "We skin the deer once we kill it, and then take the carcass to the camp to be cooked, and divided into the pack. We stick together, and support the pack."

The next hour was spent with Odd teaching him how to correctly skin and gut the deer. When he was done he was left with a carcass of meat for the pack. Grabbing a long straight branch from a nearby tree Odd tied the deer's legs to each end of the stick. Throwing it over his shoulders Ulrich followed Odd back towards the camp.

All and all, his first actual hunt had turned out pretty well. He wondered what the girls were doing right about now.

Yumi's POV

"So..." Aelita said. Yumi looked over at her. Jeremy had left to go work on another of one of his projects a few minutes ago leaving just her and Aelita. Jeremy always had some project to work on. He was an inventor, and since he lived in the woods with the pack he didn't have any of his computers that he used to, so he made little things to help the pack. He was the one who made all of the bows, arrows, and hunting knives for the members of the pack.

Yumi listened as Aelita went on. "What do you want to do while they're hunting?" she asked Yumi. Yumi shrugged.

"I don't know. Why don't we just sit here and talk." she suggested. "Its been days since we just had a talk with just the two of us." Aelita nodded smiling.

"What should we talk about?" Aelita asked. Yumi smiled.

"How are you and Odd doing?" she asked her. Aelita blushed looking down.

"Good...I think." Aelita said. Yumi raised an eyebrow. "He's really nice and we've been friends for years so it's really easy to talk to him. And we went walking through the forest the other day, and he was really romantic." Aelita got a dreamy look in her eyes as she thought about the day before.

"How many jokes did he make?" Yumi asked her. Odd was always making stupid jokes that no one laughed at. Aelita smiled.

"A few. I like his jokes." she said at Yumi. Yumi's eyebrows rose at that.

"Really, you do?" Yumi said. Aelita nodded. Yumi shook her head. If Aelita liked Odd's jokes then they were definitely made for each other. After a few seconds of silence Aelita spoke up.

"So how are things between you and Ulrich?" she said in a teasing tone. Yumi blushed a deep red. Aelita suddenly got excited. "I knew it. You like him don't you?" she said. Yumi didn't respond. "Come on Yumi I told you that I liked Odd. Spill." she said. Yumi sighed.

"I don't really know Aelita." she said. That made Aelita sit down in confusion. "I think I like him, but I don't think he likes me in that way." Aelita looked at her like she was insane.

"Yumi, it's obvious that he likes you. Every morning you walk to breakfast together. You understand what he tries to say better than anyone else. AND you two were friends and practically grew up together before he left." she said.

"But he doesn't remember that." Yumi pointed out. Aelita nodded.

"But he will." she told her. Yumi looked up at her.

"We don't know that. I mean he's regained some of his memories, but I'm not sure he'll get it all back." Yumi said with a sad tone.

"Do you know if he's discovered anything else from his past?" Aelita asked her. Yumi shook her head, but then she got a confused look on her face. "What is it?" Aelita asked. Yumi looked at her.

"Do you remember about a week ago when Ulrich heard those voices in the forest?" Yumi asked. Aelita nodded. "That night I saw him running into the forest." Aelita was listening intently to every word. "I followed him. He told me he heard more voices, and that they led him there. He wouldn't tell me what he was doing exactly, but he asked me to go back to camp." she finished. Aelita looked thoughtful for a second. Then she spoke up.

"Did he tell you anything after he got back?" she asked. Yumi shook her head.

"No. I think he may have remembered something, but I'm not sure. I don't think he wants to involve us in it. I think he wants to do it on his own." she told her. Aelita looked like she was going to say something, but before she could Odd and Ulrich walked over, and sat next to them.

"How was the hunt?" Yumi asked. Ulrich smiled, and Odd clapped his hand on Ulrich shoulder.

"Great!" he said. "Ulrich turned out to be a quick learner, and an excellent hunter. He took down his first deer today." Yumi looked at Ulrich and smiled. Ulrich smiled in return. There was that sensation again. Every time she looked Ulrich in the eye it was like a light bulb went on. They were connected. She could understand what he was trying to say from the look in his eyes. It was a little unsettling.

Yumi looked down at his hands. They were covered in bandages just like always. She saw something on his ring finger. It was a ring. A silver band of metal with an intricate green gem set in it. She looked up at Ulrich with wide eyes. He met her gaze raising an eyebrow. She looked back down at the ring, and he followed her line of sight. He stiffened. She was about to say something when he shook his head no at her. He looked at Odd and Aelita who were deep in conversation not paying them any attention. So she had been right about Ulrich not wanting to involve the others, but he seemed to trust her enough.

She mouthed the words '_where did you get that?'_. He tapped his throat right where his vocal cords would be. '_The voices?'_ she mouthed again. He nodded. She thought for a second, and then mouthed. '_Do you know what it is?'_ He shook his head that he didn't. She looked at him for a second and then she mouthed the words, '_I do.'_ She showed him her hand and on it was another ring. It was an exact copy of his except her's had a black gem instead of green. She pulled it off her finger and showed him an engraving on the inside. '_kmaucxl kimudum'_. It meant '_friends forever'_. He pulled the ring off his finger and looked at the engraving on the inside. They were the same. Him and Yumi, friends forever. They were their rings.


	6. Chapter 6: Leaving

**Hello people. I normally start out with guys. Does people sound better, or does guys? Eh. Anyway I was in a good mood, and I thought that I would make an update for this story. Just for you people who read it. I'm hopefully going to update this from now on. I just feel like writing a lot right now. So without further adieu...**

Ulrich's POV

Ulrich sat up in his 'bed'. It was little more than a few pelts laid over each other, but it was soft and warm so he could care less. He stood up getting dressed, and leaving the tent to meet Yumi and the others for breakfast.

He saw Yumi standing nearby and walked over to her.

"Morning." she said. He nodded to her. Her eyes glanced down at the ring. "Any new memories yet?" she asked hopefully. He shook his head. Ever since he'd found out about the rind he'd been trying almost nonstop to remember anything about it. Anything from his past, but nothing worked.

She sighed, before they both headed to where the others were eating breakfast. Before long they both had plates and food, and were eating along with the others. The others were in the middle of a heated conversation, so they talked to each other. Well, 'talked' to each other. Yumi was the only one talking. Ulrich just made his normal hand motion signs in response. She was the only one he could actually have a conversation with. She understood him easily. The other people in the camp, well, lets just say they started confusing his face palms with a sign.

"So how are you adjusting to being in a pack?" she asked him. He smiled. "I take it that mean your adjusting well?" she said laughing. He nodded. Then she took on a serious expression. "So, about your memories." she said. She had his full attention now. "I think I might have an idea to help you with that." He looked at her with interest.

"Well, your memory was jogged by the ring when you found it, and I gave you the ring when you left. The ring represented a memory. It was the key to that particular one. So if we were able to find more things that had a large significance to your past they might jog your memory as well." Ulrich nodded tapping his head. She smiled. "Should've known you'd think of that already. How were you planing to do it?" she asked him. He shifted uncomfortably. Her eyes narrowed.

"Ulrich." he looked her. "How were you going to do it?" A pause, and then he made a couple signs not meeting her gaze. She froze. The plate of food fell from her hands. It hit the edge of a large rock, causing it to shatter and get everyone's attention.

"Yumi?" Aelita said uncertainly. Ulrich threw his hands in the air when he noticed they were all listening. They got the feeling he was saying _'damit Yumi'_

"What did you say?" Yumi asked in a small voice. Aelita looked confused.

"I said-" Yumi interrupted her.

"No. Him." Yumi said pointing at Ulrich. Ulrich looked at the ground making the same signs as before.

"What did he say?" Aelita asked. Yumi didn't look at her. She stared at Ulrich in confusion, anger, and hurt. The hurt was the most dominant of the three, and it showed in the small tears welling up in her eyes.

"Ulrich's leaving." she said. Silence. No one talked. No one could. They just stared in shock, with wide eyes. Ulrich started to try and explain to Yumi, but she didn't even listen. "No." was all she said, as the tears began to fall. She stood running full pelt into the woods.

The others looked at him. He was just staring at the spot where Yumi had disappeared. Eventually he dropped his gaze to his feet, and closed his eyes. They others didn't say anything. Nor did they notice the small tear of sadness fall from his eyes.

Yumi's POV

She was leaned up against a tree, hugging her knees to her chest. Her eyes were tear streaked, and her shoulders were shaking nonstop. Quiet sobbing could be heard coming from her.

Why? Why did he have to leave so soon after he got back? Didn't he realize she wanted him here? Didn't he want to be here? A branch snapped. She didn't have to look up to know who it was. She could smell his scent. He sat against the tree next to her.

She looked up. Ulrich made a series of signs at her. She shook her head.

"I don't care if your sorry Ulrich." she said. "I just want to know why." Ulrich looked down. Then he pointed at the ring on his finger. It took her a few seconds to make a connection. The ring jogged his memory. But the reason he'd found the ring was because he went to the pond where he'd lost it. She sighed. If Ulrich wanted to find out what happened he'd have to follow the trail of his memories, and that meant leaving.

"Alright." she said. "I know why your leaving, but that doesn't mean I have to like it." She pressed her face into her knees, sobbing quietly. She felt Ulrich wrap an arm around her shoulders, and she pressed into his chest wrapping her arms around him, crying very loudly now. They stayed like that for a long time. She didn't care though. She didn't want to let him go. She didn't want him to leave.

Eventually she stopped crying, and just hugged him. Then. "When are you leaving?" she asked almost to quiet to hear. She pulled away so she could see him. He made a sign. "Tomorrow?" she said the words choked out. He nodded. So soon. She looked down. "I don't want you to leave." she said. He made another sign. She nodded.

"You left years ago, and I didn't think I'd ever see you again. Now your back, and I'm afraid if you leave you won't come back." she said. He shook his head making signs with his hands.

"How do you know you won't get lost, or change your mind, or...or die." she asked. "How do I know you'll come back?" She said looking at the ground. He put a hand on her chin lifting her face. She wasn't sure what she thought would happen, but she definitely didn't expect this. He leaned forward, and pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she sighed into the kiss wrapping her arms around his head as if she was afraid he'd leave all of a sudden. And frankly, she was.

He broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers. She looked into his eyes reading the expression in them. They seemed to say. '_Your here. Why the hell would I not come back?'_

"Promise me." she said. He pulled back from her, slipping the ring off of his finger he placed it in her hand. Looking down at it she stared at it in confusion. "What does this-" she started.

"If you have it, then I'll be back for it." he said. Her eyes widened. She almost dropped the ring. He talked. The boy that wasn't able to talk just talked. What was going on?

"I thought you couldn't talk?" she said to him. He smiled.

"Not can't." he said. "Just..don't. I never really ran into anyone in the forest when I was on my own, so I never had a reason to talk. Eventually I just stopped doing it all together." She stared at him for several seconds. Then she burst out laughing holding her sides. He looked at her with a playful look. "That's funny huh?" he said. She nodded still laughing. "I'll give you something to laugh about." He held her by the waist pulling her towards him, his hands finding her sides and started tickling her. Her laughing intensified as she tried to get away. But she only managed to get even more secure in his grip. She fell forward on top of him, her hands on his chest. Her laughing died down, as she caught her breath. They stared into each other's eyes for several seconds before they both embraced into a heated kiss. Grabbing at his shirt, she moaned as Ulrich rolled on top of her.

Aelita's POV

Aelita had been looking for Yumi and Ulrich for a while now, and she could tell she was close to their sent.

"Yumi!" she yelled. "Ulrich! You out here?" She heard a rustle in the undergrowth to her left.

"What? Uh...Aeltia? Can you come back later?" Yumi yelled back at her uncertainly. Aelita walked through the bushes.

"Why? Where's Ulrich? Did he find yo-" she stopped as she spotted Yumi on the ground with Ulrich on top of her. Their hair was disheveled, and they were breathing hard, as if out of breath. Aelita blushed looking away from the obvious make out session she'd just walked in on.

"Ummm...I'll just go back to camp, and wait for you there...yeah...bye." she said embarrassingly as she walked backward out of the clearing.

Ulrich's POV

Ulrich stood up from the ground offering Yumi a hand. She took it, and they started walking back to camp in silence. Ulrich blushed as his eyes drifted towards Yumi. He loved her. He could tell. It was a feeling he had in his chest, and in his heart. He would always love her.

They reached the camp fairly quickly, and they stopped at the edge of the large clearing it rested in. Ulrich turned to Yumi.

"So are you ok with me leaving now?" Ulrich asked his voice starting to get hoarse from talking. He hadn't spoken out loud in years, so it would take time for his vocal cords to get used to speech again. Yumi looked down.

"I'll never be ok will you leaving." she said. Ulrich started to say something, but she leaned forward and kissed him. When she drew back she said, "But at least I know you'll be back." He smiled, and pulled her in for one more kiss before they entered the camp.

_The Next Day_

Ulrich pulled a small knapsack over his shoulder, exiting his tent. He was leaving now, and the others were waiting for him at the edge of camp. He set out to find them.

It took him less than a minute of walking to reach the spot that they all agreed on meeting at, and he wasn't surprised to find the others their already.

"So, are you ready?" Odd asked him uncertainly. He didn't want Ulrich to go as much as any of the others. Ulrich nodded. Odd reached forward offering Ulrich his hand. Ulrich took it, shaking it. Aelita came up and hugged him, briefly saying goodbye before stepping back. Jeremy stepped forward holding a long wrapped bundle in his arms. He held the bundle out to Ulrich.

"My fathers the camps blacksmith and inventor. I thought you might need this on your journey. It should come in handy." Jeremy said as Ulrich took the bundle. He unwrapped it revealing a curved sword within. It was a plain weapon, but beautiful in a way. Ulrich could tell it was a reliable weapon.

He nodded, shaking Jeremy's hand in thanks. And then Yumi stepped forward. They stood their for several seconds just staring at each other. Ulrich was mulling over whether or not Yumi would mind if he kissed her in front of the others when she solved it for him, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him in a kiss.

They stayed like that for a while before Yumi pulled back whispering, "Remember, you promised." He nodded stepping back again and strapping his new sword onto his back. Waving in one last goodbye to the others he stepped out of the clearing and started walking.

He knew he would be back. He had to come back. After all, he made a promise. He smiled at that thought. It took him minutes to reach the clearing with the lake in it. He swam across quickly, and reached the hole in the rock that he'd entered before.

It took him a while to climb his way back up to the top with the water rushing down as before, but now that he knew the water was coming from above he was able to enter the long tunnel full of water where he'd first found the ring much quicker.

He kept swimming until he saw a light at the end. He swam faster towards it. He reached it coming up from the water gasping for breath.


	7. Chapter 7: The Cave

**Hello everyone! A new chapter to this story, and so soon as well! I've never updated this quickly with my stories. And what brought on this sudden need to update this particular story. Well, actually I was about to start working on another chapter for a different fanfic before I returned to this one, but then I looked at the reviews for this story. **

**I only got one review, but it was the most enthusiastic review I've ever gotten and it inspired me to right this chapter so quickly. So I'd just like to say thank you to Bluedog197 for an awsome review. Oh and Happy Birthday!**

**And to anyone waiting for the next chapter of my other story, 'hint, hint' take this guy's example and review please. **

Ulrich's POV

Ulrich found himself in a small underground pool on the inside of a cave. He swam over to the edge of the water, and hauled himself onto the rock. He took large breaths of air as he fought to regain his breath. Swimming down that flooded tunnel had almost made him run out of breath.

For several minutes he just laid their, then he sat up and turned to the rest of the cave. It was small, and dark, and wet. He stood up catching sight of an opening in the cave wall. That was most likely the way out.

He set out down the dark tunnel. Even though his werewolf eyes allowed his enhanced vision he still found it difficult to see more than a few feet in front of him.

He must've been walking through this cave for half an hour by now, and he still had yet to find another cave or exit. He was starting to think there was no exit at all. He shook his head in annoyance. Of course there was a way out. He'd found it before, and he'd find it again. Even if he couldn't remember doing it before.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind did he stumble into a large cavern. He continued walking, but tripped over something on the ground. As he hit the ground he found himself face to face with a skull. He froze, before jerking backwards. He became aware of dozens of bones littered across the floor of the cave.

His hand landed on something, as he jerked backwards. He looked down to see it was another bone. Upon closer inspection he noticed something wrong with it. Something that wasn't normal.

He picked it up studying it closely. The bone had small marks and cracks in it, as if it had been gnawed on. A quick inspection of several other bones showed that all the bones had bite marks on them. Most of the bones were animals, but do to the skull he'd seen earlier he knew that their were human bones as well.

For a second the thought that some of these bones might be his parents remains crossed his mind, but he dismissed them immediately. His parents had not been with him in this cave. They had not swam through the water with him. None of the bones were their's.

Then the question as to why the bones were there at all crossed his mind. Obviously the bite marks meant an animal of some kind. Most likely a wolf. Ulrich stood up eager to leave this place and the bones behind.

A scent hit his nostrils making him wrinkle his nose. He tried to identify it, but the musty smell of the cave, and the stale smell of the bones made it impossible. He lost the scent standing very still. After a few seconds he relaxed, and began walking through yet another tunnel.

He failed to notice the quiet growl that came from the shadows as a wolf stared at him hungrily.

He walked quickly through the winding tunnel ducking as he came to a particularly low part of the tunnel. Something scraped against the rock floor behind him. He whipped around his eyes glowing yellow in the dark tunnel. A growl escaped his lips, as he bared his now sharp teeth. Nothing.

His eyes faded back to their normal color, and he stood up from the crouch he'd dropped into. After a few seconds when nothing happened after he lowered his guard he turned and continued walking.

The wolf continued to silently follow him. Staying back in the dark, unnoticed.

The tunnel branched off at one point and Ulrich was forced to choose which path to take. As he went further down the tunnels he met at least a dozen more of these branches of tunnels. He was now helplessly lost with no way of tracing his way back. He must've walked through these tunnels for over an hour. Maybe several.

He had no way of telling the time in the tunnel. He was getting hungry so it must've been a while by now, since he'd eaten before he left the pack.

He reached another fork in the tunnel, and stepped towards the left one when something leaped at him from behind. What ever it was it landed between his shoulder blades knocking him down. He gritted his teeth in pain as he felt claws digging into his back.

He pushed up off the ground using his werewolf strength to throw the creature through the air where it hit the rock wall with a yelp. Turning he just managed to glimpse a wolf before it ran further down the tunnel into darkness.

He crouched down, his fingernails lengthening into claws, and his eyes turned yellow. He didn't move for over ten minutes. He didn't leave his crouch, and he never stopped looking into the darkness.

After twenty minutes of nothing he slowly stood up. The wolf was probably gone by now, but if it was still out there somewhere he'd be ready this time. He kept walking, but his eyes never changed back to normal.

He'd barely taken three steps when he saw a shape leap at him. This time he was ready. His hand shot up, wrapping around the hilt of his sword, and whipping it out in an arc through the air.

It's blade connected with one of the wolf's legs making a deep cut. It let out a yelp of pain before attempting to run away. He dashed after it. The wolf was moving fast even with it's leg wound, but he kept up with it. Still, it took him more than a few minutes to catch up all the way to where his sword was within reach.

He veered off to the right, his feet meeting the wall in a wall run. In the split second before he lost his balance he jumped across the tunnel his path taking him over the wolf, and his sword swung down further injuring it. They came out into a cavern, and he was surprised to see it was the same from before with the bones all over the cave floor.

The wolf came to a halt, and he stopped a few feet from it. It snarled at him, and he let out another, louder snarl in return. The wolf crouched low making ready to leap at him, and he held his sword ready.

His foot slipped on a bone, and he fell onto his back. The wolf launched itself at him. It's claws and teeth ready to kill him. His eyes went wide as he saw it moving at him through the air, and then he heard another snarl to his right.

Another wolf came into view as it leaped up in the air intercepting the attacking wolf, taking it to the ground. They pair of wolves rolled, turned, slashed, and bit. Ulrich sat up watching the wolves fight it out. The wolf who had saved him leaped at the attacking wolf, but it was fast and it moved out of the way letting the wolf fly into a pile of bones behind it. The wolf that saved him, the gray one as Ulrich now saw started to get up but fell to the ground.

The attacking wolf, the brown one, prowled up at the helpless wolf as it tried to crawl away. The brown wolf snarled in triampt as it closed in for the kill. Ulrich's hands went out to find his sword. He saw it a few feet away. He stretched out grabbing it. The gray wolf had saved his life, and now he would save it. Scrambling to his feet, his arm came up, back, and then forward as he hurled the sword through the air.

The sword turned end over end making a _'whomp, whomp, whomp' _sound until it buried itself in the wolf's side. The wolf stumbled to the left a bit, then back to the right as the sword hilt weighed it down. It collapsed the sword hilt pointing up. It took one giant breath, and then died. Ulrich walked up to the wolf.

It didn't snarl at him, or try to bite him. Of course, he was a werewolf. He would think that that would make wolves like him. His eyes fell onto the brown wolf. Well then what was up with that one? Turning back to the gray wolf he checked it over for injuries, but found none.

When that was done he retrieved his sword. By the time he was done cleaning it the gray wolf was up and beside him again. He sighed as he looked around at the cave. He still didn't now how to get out.

The wolf made a barking sound. He looked to see it was now at the tunnel entrance looking back at him, as if it wanted him to follow. He stood confused before he started following the wolf. Maybe it knew the way out?

The wolf picked up speed as it broke into a full run and Ulrich ran to keep up with it. It led him through the twisting tunnels in what seemed like random directions, but within minutes he saw a light at the far end of the tunnel. Laughing he speed up to where he was running beside the wolf until he clear the tunnel, and came out into the woods.

He stopped to catch his breath and the wolf stood in front of him waiting. He reached out, and scratched the wolf's head. It licked his hand.

"Thank you my friend. You can go back home now." he said to the wolf, but the wolf just sat there looking at him, it's head tilted to one side. Still breathing hard he looked at the wolf. "I'm stuck with you aren't I?" he said. In response the wolf barked. Whether this was due to his words or his voice he didn't know. Smiling he stood up looking down at the wolf. _'Ok'. _he thought, _'I can deal with this.'_ After a few more seconds he took a look around the woods remembering why he was in them in the first place. Motioning for the wolf to follow he set off in a random direction, the wolf right behind him.


	8. Chapter 8: A Mate?

**Hellllloooooo people. I'm back. Sorry for the delay. I've recently been trying to fix a glich in my account which is why it took me so long to update. Funny story about that actually. When ever I would try and upload a new stroy to my account from my computer it wouldn't do anything. Nothing I tried would work. I couldn't fix it. I've been trying to fix this for two weeks, and guess what? My computer wouldn't conect to the internet, so I used another computer to upload this chapter, and I decided to try to upload a new story one more time. **

**And the other computer worked instantly! It made me so angry. I tried everything to fix it for two weeks when it was my stupid computer the whole time! **

**(says in a more happier voice) But now I can upload stories again! Anyway I'm rambling. On with the story!**

Ulrich's POV

He chewed absentmindedly on the piece of cooked rabbit he'd caught that morning. In his other hand was a book, a diary, his diary to be specific. He'd begun writing down his thoughts since he'd left. It kept him sane. It's been several weeks since he'd left the pack, and the cave behind him.

As that thought crossed his mind he looked over to where the wolf sat a few feet away from him. The wolf had been a faithful companion ever since it had saved him in the cave. The wolf never left his side for very long, if at all, and it was great company as well.

Ulrich looked at the piece of meat in his hands before tossing it to the wolf. It snatched it out of the air, and began to chew on it. He regarded the wolf for a few seconds as it ate.

"I still have to name you don't I?" he said to the wolf. It looked up at him. It cocked its head at him. He chuckled at the sight. It had taken him a while to become accustomed to be traveling alone again. The wolf helped. It gave him someone to talk to, which is why he hadn't fallen mute like the last time he was alone.

He missed the camp. He missed his friends. He missed Yumi. Yumi had been the one who helped him the most. The one who cared the most. She was honestly the only reason he'd stayed with the camp. She was also the only reason he'd be coming back. He stood up.

"Come on boy." he said to the wolf as he began walking again. He'd taken three steps when suddenly he was blinded by a white light. Crying out, he stumbled to his knees covering his eyes.

_Flashbacks_

_He was a kid again. Ulrich walked through the forest looking around. He'd left the cave a long time ago. Left his parents behind. Left the creatures too. He heard a noise and jump shying away from it. He backed away from it. A branch cracked behind him, and he whirled around at it, seeing nothing. _

_Suddenly it was as if he could hear every sound within a five mile radius. Everything jumped out at him, everything scared him. He backed up against a tree, sliding down it until he was sitting on the ground with his head in his hands. _

_He shut his eyes tight. A tear fell from them as he began crying._

_"Mommy. Daddy. Where are you?" he whispered as the tears fell. 'crack'_

_His head snapped up as he heard the sound. The other sounds had just been that. Sounds. But this time it was real. This time he could smell something. Something was here. He heard a grunt, and a growl of a wolf. But based on it's smell it wasn't just a wolf. It was a werewolf. Two of them. _

_He heard them come closer, and hid his face in his arms, stifling his sobs. More sounds. Then he heard them sniffing._

_'please don't find me.' he thought. If they smelled him he was done for. 'plea-' before he'd even finished the thought he was grabbed by a pair of hands and hoisted into the air as one of them picked him up. _

_He immeadiatly began twisting and turning, yelling at the top of his lungs, as he tried to get away. _

_"Stop it Ulrich!" a familiar voice yelled. He froze at the sound of his name. His eyes opened to stare into the green eyes of his mother. He looked over to see his father next to her. _

_"Mom? Dad?" And then before he could even blink he'd been enveloped in a bone crushing hug by his parents. One he was more than happy to return._

_End Flashback_

Ulrich slowly opened his eyes again as the flashback faded away. He stood up, shakily as he regained from the shock of it all. He stood their in silence for who knows how long. He'd remembered something. After weeks of searching for anything that could help him find out his past. And he'd remembered something! It meant he was on the right track. That he was getting closer.

Smiling now he looked at the wolf next to him, waiting patiently. He patted the wolf on the head.

"Come on boy. We're almost their...hopefully...maybe not, but I can hope." he said as he the wolf barked. He then continued walking in the direction he'd been going earlier, with the wolf following behind him.

Yumi's POV

She sighed in annoyance as she saw William making his way towards her. Ever since Ulrich had left William had taken every opportunity to talk to her. He always wanted her to be his mate. He was always saying how they were meant for each other, and that they were both alphas so they must be mate's.

Frankly, she was close to killing him. And the fact that she missed Ulrich didn't help either. God she missed him. Missed him so much that it hurt. It been several weeks since he'd left, and William only made it worse.

Her thoughts returned to William right as he reached her.

"Hi there Yumi." he said in a smug voice. A voice that made her want to hit him. In a very _tender _spot.

"What are you so smug about?" she said walking past him. He followed her though.

"Just thought I'd inform you about you becoming my new mate soon." he said. She laughed.

"When pigs fly maybe." she said. William smiled at this.

"You might wanna watch the skies then, 'cause your father just agreed to it." he said. She stopped dead.

"What?!" she said. He smiled even more.

"Yep. Your father thinks that I'm the perfect match for you. I'm an alpha like you. By pack law you have to marry an alpha. I'm one of the strongest alphas in the pack, and I'm soon to be of age just like you. Your father seems to think that having two strong alphas like us mated will strength the bloodline tremendously." he said. "In a few months after you turn eighteen we'll be mated."

Yumi turned without a word leaving a smiling William behind. She was going to have a word with her father.

Takeo was sitting in his tent speaking with the pack elders about his daughters recent engagement to one of the alphas when Yumi barged in.

"What do you think your doing giving me off to William?!" she said without hesitation. He looked to the elders and politely said,

"Would you give us a moment please?" They got up and left, leaving him and his daughter alone. The smile dropped from his face as they left. He stood and looked at his daughter angrily.

"You embarrassed me in front of the elders Yumi. You can't just barge in her interrupting everything! If they think that I can't even control my own daughter then they'll think I can't control the pack!" he said. Yumi didn't really care right now, so she repeated her last question.

"What do you think your doing giving me off to William?" she said. Takeo sighed.

"Yumi, William is one of the best males of the pack. There aren't many who could out do him, and he's your age. You two would make a great match." he said.

"Except I don't love him!" she nearly screamed.

"So?" he said. "Love isn't the most important thing in the world. The pack is what's important, and mating with William will help the pack."

"I don't care about helping the pack!" Yumi said. Takeo was taken aback by this. "If I have to marry William then I'll leave." He scoffed at her.

"The hell you will Yumi. This is your home. You won't leave it." he said. "Anyway it doesn't matter. I've already excepted William's proposal. By pack law, you have to mate with him." Yumi was close to tears. She couldn't marry William. She couldn't. She loved Ulrich to mu-. Ulrich! That was it!

By pack law once a marriage proposal was excepted by the father it could not be stopped. Unless another mate came forward. If she could convince her father to except it then she wouldn't have to marry William.

"What about Ulrich?" she said getting her father's attention.

"What about him?" he said.

"Me and Ulrich were together before he left. I love him, and he loves me. He's just as good a mate if not better than William. He could be my mate." she said. Her father seemed to be considering it.

"Yes, Ulrich could be a suitable mate for you, but in order for me to cancel my agree meant to William then the elders would have to approve of it. And they won't unless Ulrich is here. He's gone, so he can't mate with you." he said. "I can see it in your eyes when you talk about him. I can tell you love him, and I want to accept this but I can't." Yumi was panicking. This was her last hope, and it was falling down in ruins simply because the elders wouldn't agree unless Ulrich was there?

Oh Ulrich, why did you have to leave? she thought. Then she had a thought. She looked back up at her father.

"What if Ulrich comes back?" she said. Her father looked at her curiously. "I'm not of age yet. I won't be for eight months. If Ulrich returns before I turn eighteen and am mated to William then the elders would agree." Her father's eyes furrowed in concentration.

"That would work. The elders would agree to that since you technically can't be mated until your of age." he said. Yumi nearly exploded with joy. "Very well. If Ulrich returns before your eighteenth birthday I will cancel my agreement with William." Yumi practically crushed him with a hug.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!" she said as she let him go giving him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled at her.

"Now you'd best be off. I've got to inform the elders of a change in plans, AND finish that meeting that you interrupted." he said. She blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry." she said quietly. He nodded and pushed her towards the entrance. She left without a word. William was outside the tent waiting for her, and as she exited he said smugly,

"You ready to become my mate yet?" She smirked back before walking past him.

"Not yet." she said over her shoulder. William turned to her in confusion before looking back at the tent. He quickly shoved his way through the tent flap.

She smiled.

Ulrich crested the small hill he'd been walking up for the last few minutes. He was looking at a valley that went on for at least a mile. In the middle of the valley he could barely see a small two story house in a grove. It looked abandoned.

_Flashback_

_Ulrich and his parents were looking upon a small two story house. Ulrich turned to his dad._

_"Daddy, what is this place?" he asked. His dad smiled down at him before picking him up and placing him on his shoulders._

_"This is our new home. We'll be living here for a while. Safe from Them." his dad said taking them into the house._

_End flashback_

Ulrich smiled. He looked down at the house.

"We're home boy." he said before he began walking towards the house. With any luck he'd make it before nightfall.

**Well? How did you enjoy that chapter. I certainly enjoyed writing it. By the way, any idea's for a name for the wolf? I can't think of a good name. I want it to be something specific to Ulrich's past, or to him, like Blade since he uses a sword, but that doesn't sound just right to me. Any ideas? Comment on it please.**


	9. Chapter 9: Home?

**Hey guys. Did you like the last chapter? Well I certainly enjoyed writing it! I'm try and be brief here so that I don't bore you. I'm not entirely sure, but I think that the chapters are going to start getting bigger, longer, and more exciting from now on so that means it'll take longer to write them. Thats really all I wanted to say. I just thought I sould tell you guys.**

**On with the story!**

Yumi's POV

"The _nerve_ of that MORON!" Aelita yelled as Yumi finished telling her what happened with William. "To think he thought that you'd marry him at the drop of a hat simply because your father agreed to it!" Yumi smiled at her.

"He was being stupid." she said. "Luckily I managed to find a way to stop it." Aelita nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes. I'm surprised you managed to change your fathers mind so quickly. He's normally so stubborn." Aelita said. Yumi nodded in agreement.

"But I didn't exactly stop it. I just postponed it. Until Ulrich gets back." Yumi said.

"If he gets back in time." Aelita said. Yumi's head snapped up to look at her.

"He _will_ be back in time." she said loudly. Then she took on a forlorn look. "He has too." she said quietly. Almost to herself. Aelita touched her shoulder apoligeticaly.

"I'm sure he will." she said. Yumi smiled in thanks at her before shaking herself out of her sadness.

"Anyway." she said. "How are you and Odd doing?" she said with a teasing smile. Aelita looked away blushing fiercly.

"W-We're doing g-good." she said in a stutter. "Really good." Yumi raised her eyebrow in question, so Aelita elaborated. "He took me into the forest the other day for a picnic. It wasn't much, but he was really kind, and cute, and romantic." By the time she finished talking she'd stoped blushing, and a wistfull look appeared in her eyes. Yumi smiled. She was happy Aelita had someone like Odd. Just like how she had Ulrich. Even if he wasn't there he'd always be in her heart.

_'But I still want you to be here.'_ she thought. _'Please Ulrich. Come back.'_

Ulrich's POV

Ulrich stepped up to the doorway of the house. He'd been standing outside it for an hour, maybe two. He just couldn't bring himself to cross the threshold and go in. He was too nervous at what he'd find. He was afraid he'd find out that something horrible happened to his parents. That they were murdered or that they died by some accident. But most of all, he was afraid to find out that they weren't dead.

Don't get him wrong he would love nothing more than to have them there, but he was afraid that if they were alive that he'd find out that they abandoned him. That they didn't want him. And to him, that was worse than them being dead.

He was drawn out of his thoughts as the wolf trotted quickly through the door. Without thinking he followed it in a jog. The wolf stopped a few feet into the house and he stopped as he looked around, realizing for the first time he'd crossed the threshhold.

He looked down at the wolf who had it's head cocked to one side, and it's mouth was twisted into what to him looked like a smile. If wolves could smile that is. As the wolf stared at him he wondered if it had planned this. Too force him to follow inside.

_'Can't turn back now.' _he thought. Looking around the small entry room he realized for the first time that the house was heavily burned and seemed a little unstable. _'Did a fire start? Is that what happened?'_

He stepped closer to the wall to inspect it. A large section of the wall was covered in soot and ash, where as the parts that weren't burned were massive holes that led to other rooms in the house.

_'Definatly a fire.'_ Then his eyes caught something that had gone unnoticed by him until now. He crouched down close to the base of the wall; his eyes boring into a section that was the least burned.

There were five long, deep gashes in the wall. _'This wasn't just a fire'_ An image flashed in his mind.

_Flashback_

_Ulrich's dad stumbled to the ground from the wound on his leg. He pulled himself up against the wall. Ulrich saw a werewolf in human form dash towards his dad._

_"Dad! Look out!" he yelled in warning. He dad dove/stumbled out of the way as the man slashed at him with his claws. Which bit deep into the wall as he missed._

_End Flashback_

Ulrich stood up and walked into the next room. Like the last it was heavily burned, and destroyed. Judging by the shattered and broken furniture it was a living room. There was a fireplace on the far wall, and he looked in intrest as he saw that their was a consentrated section of soot and rubble around it, starting at the fireplace and spreading outwards. The broken furniture was scattered on the side of the room furthest away from the fireplace. As if it had been blown away.

_Flashback_

_Ulrich's dad dragged him towards the fireplace. _

_'Dad! What's going on?' Ulrich asked scared. His dad didn't answer as he was to busy tossing a wrapped package into the lit fireplace. It started burning imeadiatly. His dad turned shoving him out the nearest door into the next room. Snarls were heard as multiple werewolves burst into the room. _

_Ulrich's dad pulled him out of the doorway just as an explosion racked the whole house from inside the room. Several streams of fire streaked out of the door landing next to them._

_End Flashback_

_'We were attacked. But not by the creature. By werewolves?' _Ulrich's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. _'But this isn't any pack territory. He'd know if there were werewolves nearby.'_ They may not be as liberal as wolves when it came to marking territory, but they still left a scent everywhere. It's why they were constantly sending out patrols around the territory. To leave a scent.

_'So who were the werewolves that attacked us? Rogues? No, they never traveled together. But then who?'_

Ulrich stepped through the doorway from the memory, and found a set of stairs leading up to the next floor. He carefully climbed up them, fearing they might collapse. They held his wieght and he gave a sigh of releaf. His hand ran along another gash mark in the wall.

_Flashback_

_Ulrich ran downstairs with a werewolf right behind him. He tripped falling head first down them, which ironicaly saved his life as the werewolf swung its claws at his back missing by inches. Ulrich stopped falling halfway down, and dug his claws into the wall pulling himself up, leaving a shallow gash._

_End Flashback_

Ulrich reached the top of the stairs and was in a hallway. One door on his left, and three doors on his right. The left door and the middle right one was thrown open as if they'd rushed through them in a hurry.

He stepped through the door on the left. He was in a small room. In it were the remains of two dressers and a double bed.

_Flashback_

_Ulrich burst into the room causing the door to slam on it's hinges. His parents moaned as light flooded the room._

_'Mommy! Daddy! Get up! Get up!' Ulrich said jumping on their bed making them flinch and groan again. _

_'Ulrich.' his mother said slowly. 'It's to early. Go back to bed.' Ulrich jumped up and down, before shaking them even more._

_'No! No more sleep! It's Christmas! It's Christmas! Get up! Time to get up!' he said in a high pitched voice. His mother groaned as she hawled herself into a sitting position. She blinked her eyes sleepily before a sly smile crepped across her face. Before Ulrich could move away she'd snatched him up into her arms and proceeding to tickle him to death causing an uproar of laughing from him. _

_Ulrich's dad turned away from them muttering. 'Be quiet and go back to bed.' The laughter stopped. He turned back to them. They were stairing clamly at him, smirks on their faces. 'Don't you-' They lept at him, all three of them falling of the bed. Only two of them were laughing._

_End Flashback_

A smile crept onto Ulrich's face at this. After having a look around the room, which consisted of looking at all the burnt items, he left the room moving onto the next one. He surveyed what looked like a play room. There were several toys scattered across the floor, and even a play sword in one corner. He picked it up.

_Flashback_

_'Play with me daddy." he yelled in excitment as he rushed his dad with the wooden weapon. His dad laughed as he engaged in mock combat with Ulrich. _

End Flashback

Ulrichs smile grew into a chuckle at the memory. He saw the remenants of a large drawing on the wall.

_Flashback_

_'What are you drawing Ulrich?' his mother asked. Ulrich didn't look away from the wall_

_'Us.' he said loudly. His mother looked at the crude stickfigure drawing of three people holding hands. As she watched Ulrich began drawing a smaller figure on the ground next to the three figures._

_End Flashback_

Ulrich looked to the spot where the smaller figure was. The fire had burned over it hidding whatever was there. He shrugged before moving back into the hallway and stepping towards the last room. He stepped through the open door of what looked to be his room. There was a bed, and a dresser. Several clothes laying on the floor along with several wooden play swords.

_'Guess I liked swords growing up'_ he thought. There were several more items in the room, but they were so badly burned that he couldn't tell what they were. He searched through the dresser and looked under various objects, but found nothing of significance. His eye caught the window, and he looked at it to find it shattered and glass covering the floor in front of it.

_Flashback_

_Ulrich woke up to glass shattering, and he shot up in bed to find that a werewolf had lept through his window into his room. Ulrich yelled in fright as he lept from bed and ran out the door leaving it ajar, as he rushed down the hallway._

_End Flashback_

Ulrich closed his eyes as he slowly assembled the bits of his memory in his mind. They were attacked. One of them came in through his window while the others went through the front door. He rushed downstairs away form the werewolf, and somehow ran into his dad, who then blew up their living room causing the fire that burnt down the house, and then...he didn't know. He was missing something. But what?

He left the room and slowly aproached the last one. He reached for the door knob, and slowly opened the door. He stepped inside, and as his eyes fell on what was inside tears gathered in his eyes. He was looking at a collapsed part of the room where the ceiling had callapsed to the ground. Trapped underneath the ceiling, was a skeleton.

Ulrich slowly aproached the skeleton. It's clothes were still mostly intact, if not a bid ragged, but for the whole, they were in good shape. Based on the clothes he figured out that it was his moms skeleton. His hand reached out to touch it, shaking slightly. His finger touched the shirt, and felt the bone underneath.

_Flashback_

_Several streamed of fire streaked out of the dorrway landing next to them. _

_'Where's mom!' Ulrich yelled. His father looked at him._

_'I think she was up stairs!' he yelled back. Without a word Ulrich rushed up the stairs. 'Ulrich wait!' his dad yelled, but was interupted as another werewolf came out of no where and attacked him. _

_Ulrich searched through the rooms up stairs until he found the one his mom was in. Part of the ceiling had callapsed on top of her, and fire was everywhere in the room now, burning everything. He rushed forward grabbing onto the piece of roof that had fallen, but quickly let go as it was to hot for him to touch. _

_The piece that had fallen was unfortunatly the piece that they had reinforced with metal from the basement due to the wood being rotten. Growling in rage and pain he grabbed back onto the metal ignoring the searing pain in his hands. No doubt they'd be badly burned and scared after this. He bit his lip to stop from screaming as the heat seemed to increase. _

_He may have been nine, but with his werewolf strength helping he managed to lift the metal an inch or two before he had to drop it again. Growling again he reached for it, but his mothers hands grabbed his. _

_He looked into her eyes and saw sadness in them. _

_'You can't lift it Ulrich. You're not strong enough.' she said. Ulrich shook his head. He had to try. He tried to grab it but his mother stopped him yet again. 'Leave me Ulrich. It's to dangerous. This place could collapse at any moment.' After a moment she said. 'Besides, I'm already going to die.' As she said this she motioned towards her stomach where there was a long piece of metal sticking out of it. Blood was everywhere. Ulrich's eyes watered. He looked up at her._

_'I don't want to lose you. I want to help you.' he cried as tears fell from his eyes. _

_End Flashback_

Ulrich closed his eyes as a single tear rolled down his cheek. Taking a deep breath he looked at his mother again and his eye caught sight of her finger. On it was a wedding ring. He reached forward and pulled it off. He inspected it. Other than a small scratch mark it was undamaged. He dropped the ring into one of his pockets before standing up, and saying a short prayer. And then he left the room. He found what he'd been looking for. Mostly. He still had to find out about his fa-

He stepped onto the stair case and it gave a loud creek. His eyes widened and he rushed forward, but was to late. The stairs caved in and he fell through the hole that had opened up. He hit the ground hard, and was surprised to find it was stone. Gasping, he pulled himself up of the ground and looked around blinking as dust covered his eyes.

He was in a basement. As his vision cleared he became awear of another skeleton a few feet away. His father. He stood and walked over to it. There were no tears this time. After he'd found his mother he'd more or less figured out that his father was probably dead. Based on his memories they loved him very much, and would never abandon him. So the only way that they would be separated was if they were dead.

Ulrich retrieved his fathers wedding ring as well before his eye was caught by a small hole in the wall. It was small. The size of a child. As he looked into it he realized that it was a tunnel that led to the surface.

_Flashback_

_Ulrich and his dad ran into the basement followed by a man with a sword. Ulrich's dad kicked the man in the chest knocking him down. He turned to Ulrich, shoving him towards the tunnel. _

_'Run Ulrich. Run' he shouted before the man got to his feet and stabbed him in the back with the sword. He fell to the ground as Ulrich ran through the tunnel._

_End Flashback_

Ulrich walked over to a table. On it was a journal, and a stuffed toy. He picked up the toy and examained it. It was a wolf, small, and most likely his childhood toy that he slept with. He turned to the wolf which had eventually found it's way down the stairs that he now noticed against the wall that lead to the first floor.

He crouched down and held the toy up for him to see.

"Looks like you boy." he said.

_Flashback_

_Ulrich held the toy up to the wolf that his parents had given him. _

_'It looks like you boy.' he said. The wolf, which was only a puppy at that time, yelped at the toy. His mother and father laughed at this._

_End Flashback_

Ulrich's jaw dropped slightly. It was his wolf? That's why the wolf had never stopped following him. Why he listened to him. Because they were old friends. He smiled at the wolf.

'Now if only I knew your name.' he thought.

_Flashback_

_Ulrich's parents gave him a large box with holes cut into the sides for air. _

_'Merry Christmas.' they said. Ulrich's eyes grew to saucers at the size of the box. _

_'What's inside it?' he asked. They laughed._

_'Open it.' Ulrich happily ripped the top of the box open and peared inside. He smiled hugely as he pulled out a newborn wolf. He softly hugged it before laughing as it squirmed in his hands, licking them. _

_'What's his name?' Ulrich asked. _

_'You name him.' his parents responded. Ulrich thought for a moment._

_'Tsume.' he said with a smile._

_End Flashback_

(A thank you to Bluedog197 for giving my this idea, and for suggesting a name.)

Ulrich smiled.

"Tsume." he said. The wolf barked loudly, jumping a bit at the name. Ulrich turned to the journal now. It had a name on it that he guessed was his fathers. It was his personal diary. Ulrich smiled. It was something at least. Flipping through the pages he found a note between one of them. Opening it he read,

_ Dear father, _

_I fear that we will soon be attacked by the creatures, or by the werewolves loyal to Xana. If either were to attack we would be wiped out. This place has been safe for these few precious years, but now it is in danger. I will be sending this to you through carrier pigeon, and hopefully by the time this reaches you we will be on our way to you. I hope that this letter reaches you well, and that you will help us in our time of need. We will see you soon._

_ Love, your son_

Ulrich sighed. Well that letter had never been sent. And then a thought struck him. His dad had called this man father. This note was for his grandfather. And then another thought hit him. Was his grandfather still alive? He quickly thumbed through the book, and gave an excited cry when he found a map. After studying it for several seconds he nodded and rushed out up the stairs and out of the house.

He began walking swiftly in the direction on the map. If his grandfather was still alive, he'd find him.

Mystery POV

The three werewolves stepped into the clearing. One of them looked around.

"We shouldn't be here." he said. "This isn't our territory." The leader of them shook his head.

"Relax. We were invited here by a member of the pack that lives in this territory. Well be fine." he said as a fourth werewolf stepped into the clearing. The leader turned to them. "Are you the one we are here to meet?" The werewolf nodded.

"I am." he said. The three werewolves settled down now that they knew they weren't in danger. The leader spoke up again.

"So what is the deal you wanted to make with my pack?" The alpha said. The werewolf looked at him.

"Simple. I want you to kill Ulrich Stern." William said.


	10. Chapter 10: Grandpa?

**Hello guys! I've got another chapter for you. Sorry its short. I was in a rush to update since it's been so long.**** Enjoy! Oh and is anyone going to guess what the creatures are? Or is it just so obvious that no one is guessing? Anyway, on to the story!**

Assassin Wolves POV

Anton crouched down, running his hand along the ground lightly. He breathed in through his nose searching for any scent nearby. Nothing. Cursing under his breath he stood up. He looked over to the other two werewolves with him, Jackson and Jacob.

"Find anything?" he asked. Jackson turned to him.

"No. Nothing. There's no sign of him." Jackson said. Jacob walked up to him.

"We aren't going to find any trace of Ulrich here." he said. Anton nodded.

"I know. William said Ulrich left weeks ago. We won't find any trace here." he said. Jackson made an annoyed noise.

"Then what are we doning here?" he asked, motioning towards the lake next to them.

"William said this was where Ulrich began his journey. He climbed through the opening in the rocks, and disapeared." Anton said. Jacob spoke up.

"Well Ulrich may have fit through that hole, but we can't. And we don't know where it leads. We have nothing to help us find Ulrich." he said. Anton gave him a pointed look.

"Think about it idiot." Anton said. "There's water coming out of the hole, so it's a?" Jackson cut in.

"A river." he said. Anton nodded.

"But there isn't any rivers nearby, so that means what?" Anton asked them. After a moment Jacobs spoke up.

"It's an underground river." Anton nodded to him.

"Yes, and if it's underground then he wouldn't be able to stay in it very long because he'd drown, so where could he end up that's underground?" Anton asked raising an eyebrow. Jackson's eyes lit up in realization.

"A cave." he said. Anton smiled.

"And how many caves are nearby?" The other two smiled.

"There's only one close enough." Jackson said. Anton nodded.

"So what do you say we go take a look at it?" he said pointedly.

_A few minutes later_

They stepped up to the cave entrance staring at the cave mouth. Anton turned to the other two.

"Go take a look inside. I'll take a look out here." he said. Jacob and Jackson walked off into the cave leaving Anton alone. Anton examained the area around the cave mouth carefully before going farther out.

By the time Jackson and Jacob returned he'd found nothing. There was no sign. The other two waved to him, so he stood up, walking over to them.

"What is it?" he asked. They pointed into the cave.

"There's a dead wolf inside. It has a large cut on its side from a blade, but it looks as if it was killed by another animal." Jacob said. Anton considered this carefully.

"Not many werewolves use knives or swords for fighting. We mostly prefer our claws and teeth." he said almost to himself. Jackson caught his attention.

"Didn't William say Ulrich had a sword with him?" he asked. Anton looked at him in surprise before nodding in agreement.

"Yes he did. That could be the wound on the wolves side, so we at least know he was here." he said. Jacob pointed towards the ground a few feet away.

"What's that?" he asked. He was pointing at a shallow foot print in the dirt. Anton cursed himself. How did he miss that? Jackson crouched down over the foot print.

"It points that way." he said pointing away from the cave. Jacob looked skeptical.

"How do we know it's Ulrich's?" Jacob asked. Anton rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"The lake where Ulrich entered may have been in their territory, but this entrance is in ours. We've been in a drought these last few months, so the rain hasn't washed anything away since before Ulrich left. And we haven't sent any patrols in this direction recently." Anton said motioning for the others to follow.

"Anyway it's all we have, come on." he said as he and the other two took off in the direction the foot print was pointing.

_Three months Later_

Ulrich quietly read a page in his fathers journal with Tsume sitting nearby. Ever since Ulrich had found the journal he'd taken every spare second to read it. He was only halfway through it, and it hadn't told him anything he hadn't already found or remembered on his own.

Closing it, he set it aside, reaching for the folded map next to him. After scanning it for the hundredth time he nodded to himself. According to the map Ulrich was only a few hours away from where his grandfather supossedly lived. If he huried he could make it before nightfall.

Snuffing out the fire he retrieved his sword and the journal calling for Tsume, and he began walking swiftly in the direction the map said.

_Sunset that day_

Ulrich reached the pique of the small hill, looking down through the trees around him at the small hut. As Ulrich's eyes fell on it his eyes went wide as he saw smoke coming from the chimney. His eyes widened. Someone was there. It had to be him. He took a step forward and an unfamiliar scent reached his nose. His nostrils flared and he lept back, narowly avoiding having his stomach ripped open by a werewolf. (just to clear something up, unless I specifically say that they're in wolf form all werewolves will be in human form)

Ulrich crouched down, his eyes flashing yellow as his claws and teeth came out. The werewolf in front of him was old. Well...not really old, he was still in fighting shape, but he definatly wasn't in his twenties or even thirties. He had short brown hair, green eyes, and was covered in dirt.

The werewolf crouched down as well, snarling. Ulrich growled back at him. They began circling eachother, each trying to size the other up. After a few seconds the werewolf spoke up.

"After all these years. After all the wolves Xana's sent after me. After all the times he tried to have me killed, he sends a boy after me, alone. Insulting." he said. Suddenly Ulrich knew who this was. This was his grandfather.

The werewolf took advantage of his shocked state too leap at him, pinning him down. Tsume lept onto his back, but the werewolf through him off. Tsume's yelp of pain reached Ulrich's ears and his anger flared.

He rolled them over as the other werewolf did the same, sending them snowballing down the hill. Ulrich's head conected with a rock, and his vision blurred. The werewolf closed it's hand around his throat pinning him down. His hand went up, ready to dig his claws into Ulrich's chest.

Ulrich's hand went up, seizing desperatly at the werewolf''s wrist. But the werewolf was strong, and soon enough his hand began desending down. His other hand also tightened around Ulrich's throat, choking him.

Ulrich struggled to breath his free hand reaching to the hand around his neck, pulling it enough to let him gasp out the words,

"Not...Xana..." The werewolf didn't let up. Instead he rolled his eyes.

"Oh please." he said. "If your not with Xana, then just who the hell are you?" Ulrich drew in a ragged breath as he started to black out.

"Y-your...grandson...Ulrich." he said his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he passed out. The werewolf released his grip from Ulrich's neck, his eyes going wide. His eyes flickered down to Ulrich's neck where his parents necklaces were held. His hand moved to cup one of them.

His eyes returned to Ulrich's face, recongnizing the familiar features on it.

"Ulrich?" he said weakly.


	11. Chapter 11: The Plan

**Hellooooooo again. I'm soooo sorry that I haven't updated in a while. There really isn't any excuse for it other than I haven't had the time. Sorry again. Hope you like the chapter!**

**Oh and there seems to be some confusion about the creatures, and the werewolves who attacked Ulrich's family. The creatures are hunting Ulrich, but the werewolves who destroyed Ulrich's house aren't them. They were hunting Ulrich and his family, but he doesn't know why. They aren't hunting him anymore because they think he's dead. The creatures are still hunting him though.**

**Anyway no more rambling, your here for a story, and I've got one!**

Yumi's POV

Yumi, for once, was in a _very _good mood today. She was having a peaceful day, alone. Aelita and Odd were off spending the day in the forest doing who knows what. Her father was in a council meeting that would take all day. Jeremy was off tinkering again. Hiroki had taken a special interest in one of the girls his age. And to top it all off she'd managed to avoid William for the entire day so far.

_BAM!_

She collided head on with someone. In fact she ended up almost tackling them as they stumbled, both of them grabbing desperately at each other to stay balanced. After a second of more of stumbling they managed to stand straight, and Yumi's face blanched as she found herself clutching at William's shirt.

Backing away quickly, Yumi started to walk around him. He took a step sideways right in front of her.

"I knew you liked me Yumi, but I didn't realize you were that desperate for a kiss." he said, smirking. She smiled at him, but it never reached her eyes.

"The only thing I'm desperate to do with you is to slap you, William." she said. He stepped forward, and cupped her chin.

"Don't be like that, Yumi." he said. She jerked her chin out of his grasp.

"Get out of my way." she said, her eyes narrowing. His smirk widened.

"Why? So you can take me to your tent?" he said suggestively. Her eyes flashed in anger as she caught his meaning. Her hand connecting hard with the side of his face. He stumbled slightly under the impact of it.

Growling he stood straight again, opening his mouth to speak. Only to find her already walking away from him. He muttered darkly as he watched her retreating form.

_'Just you wait. You'll be mine, and the title as Pack Alpha with you.'_

Ulrich's POV

His head was pounding. He couldn't open his eyes. He felt weak, and attempted to call out. But all that came out was a strangled groan.

_'Where am I?' _He heard someone approach the bed he was in, and what felt like a wet rag was placed against his forehead. His head shook slightly in response to the cool feeling of the rag. A voice caught his attention. He couldn't make out the words, but the tone was clear.

Soothing. Calming. Urging him to rest. His eyes opened slightly, but the light made his vision blurry, and he couldn't make anything out before they closed again as he drifted back into sleep.

Yumi's POV

Yumi was still steaming about her encounter with William. At first he was pushy about being his mate, but recently he'd become more and more forward about it. As more time passed he became increasingly more annoying.

There was only four months left for Ulrich to return. She was running out of time. If Ulrich didn't return soon then she'd be forced to mate with William, and she couldn't do that. She just can't.

A wooden bowl was placed in front of her containing a small portion of soup. Yumi looked up from where she was staring at to see Aelita looking down at her, smiling. Yumi smiled back, but it was obvious that it was forced. Aelita gave her a pointed look.

"I know that look Yumi. Your missing Ulrich again?" she asked. The smile died on her face as Aelita sat down at her, pushing the bowl forward.

"We're running out of time. He's not back yet, and I'm getting worried." she said, picking up the bowl.

"Are you starting to wonder if he's coming back at all?" asked Aelita. Yumi froze in the middle of raising the spoon to her mouth. After a second she continued eating. After a second she shook her head.

"It's not that I don't think that he's not coming back. Will he be back in time?" she asked. Aelita nodded.

"He will. I know he will." Aelita said. Yumi looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"We don't know that. There's every chance he won't." she said. Aelita nodded.

"Yes, there is." Yumi looked up quickly. "There's every chance that he won't. But there's also every chance he will." Yumi looked down, before nodding. Aelita waited a few seconds before continuing. "And if he isn't, there's always the chance that you might disappear before you and William mate."

Yumi's head snapped up, staring at her. Aelita smiled. Yumi shook her head no.

"Won't work. William thinks I'm to proud to run away. He won't even consider it, but I've already told my dad I'll run away if he makes me do this. He'll be ready to stop me." Yumi said. Aelita smiled smugly before stretching back.

"True, but for the past week Jeremy's been talking to his father about how he hopes you end up with William." Aelita said making Yumi's eyes go wide. "And Odd's been doing the same with anyone who'll listen."

Yumi's eyes burned with anger.

"You mean to tell me they want me to mate with William!" she nearly shouted the words. Aelita smirked again.

"No, but Jeremy's father is part of the council and the things Odd's been saying has already reached your father's ears. So if you find out that Odd and Jeremy are the ones your father asks to keep you here, don't be surprised to find out that they forget to do it on the night you decide to run away." Aelita said with a twinkle in her eyes.

Yumi's jaw dropped. Blinking a few times in shock, she looked down at the bowl of soup in her hands. They were helping her? If Ulrich didn't make it back her father would obviously put guards on her to make sure she didn't run off. But if those guards were Odd and Jeremy...

Slowly a smile grew on her face. They had a plan. A way out. For her. She caught Aelita's eye.

"Thank you." she said quietly. Aelita looked at her with a teasing smile.

"Whatever for? I just told you that two of your best friends were helping your father." Aelita said. Yumi rolled her eyes before replying in an equally teasing voice.

"Well, be sure to tell them how angry I am at them for this." she said. Aelita's smile grew before she nodded. A small tear rolled down Yumi's face as she raised her spoon for another mouthful of soup. But her hand froze in the air, the spoon clattering back into the bowl.

Aelita frowned at her.

"Yumi?" she said uncertainly. "What's wrong?" Yumi shivered.

"I-" she stuttered. "I don't know. I just feel like-" She trailed off. Aelita scooted closer.

"Feel like what?" Aelita asked. Yumi clutched at Ulrich's ring, tied around her neck.

"I feel like something bad's about to happen to Ulrich." she said looking Aelita in the eye.

Assassin Wolves POV

Anton, Jackson, and Jacob all crouched down at the edge of the trees, looking down at the small cabin where Ulrich and the other wolf were staying. Jackson looked over at Anton.

"Do we kill him now?" he asked. Anton shook his head.

"He's with another werewolf now. This one's older. A warrior judging from his look." Anton paused at this. "We need to wait until we know more about him. Then we wait until Ulrich is alone." Jacob spoke up this time.

"And then what?" he asked. Anton smiled wolfishly at him. (pun intended)

"Then we go hunting." Anton said.


	12. Chapter 12: Questions

**Hi guys. I'm sorry I kinda dropped off the face of the earth, but life's been kinda crazy lately. I've been missing school, my nephew has just been born, and thanksgiving just ended. Anyway that's why I haven't updated in a while. But I didn't forget you guys, and here is your brand new chapter!**

Ulrich's POV

Ulrich had been laying down for a long time now. He wasn't sure how long, but he knew it was longer than usual. His head pounded, and his jaw hurt. He groaned slightly, and somewhere close by he heard Tsume whine in response. Tsume? His mind flashed backwards. Tsume had been hurt when his grandfather attacked him!

Ulrich's eyes bolted open, and he forced himself up from the bed he was laying in, supporting himself with one hand. But the second his hand hit the bed it gave out sending him back down. The pounding in his head increased and he could hear it in his ears. His hand hadn't given out out of exhaustion, but rather he couldn't seem to make it listen to him. The pounding in his head was bad enough, now he couldn't move?

His movements seemed to draw attention to himself though because his grandfather came into view beside the bed. He placed his hand on Ulrich's shoulder.

"Easy, easy," he said, "Your still not well enough to sit up yet." Ulrich groaned.

"Tsume." he said weakly. In response he heard a whine come from the floor. He turned his head slightly to look down. Tsume was sitting next to his bed, and Ulrich noticed his tail start wagging when he looked over. His grandfather chuckled.

"As you can see, he's fine." said his grandfather, "How do you feel?"

"My heads pounding." Ulrich said. His grandfather nodded.

"That would be expected due to the blow you took to the head." he said. Ulrich rolled his eyes.

"You mean when you threw us down a hill?" Ulrich said with an eyebrow raised. His grandgather shrugged.

"If I remember correctly, it was you who did that." he said. Ulrich clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"_If _you remember correctly. _If._" Ulrich said. Ulrich tried to sit up, but his grandfather pushed him back down, gently.

"You shouldn't sit up yet, Ulrich." he said.

"Yeah, well we need to talk, and I'm not going to do it laying down." Ulrich said. "So help me up." Again his grandfather tried to stop him, but as Ulrich insisted he eventually helped him manage to sit up in bed. Ulrich took a few seconds to let his head stop swimming before speaking.

"How long have I been out?" he asked.

"A few days," his grandfather said, "Like I said, you took a nasty blow to the head." His grandfather looked him up and down before continuing slowly. "So..." Ulrich beat him to it.

"How long have you lived here?" he asked. His grandfather seemed to think before answering.

"I left...maybe three months before you and your parents left the pack. I spent a year moving around before coming here and building this house." Ulrich looked around. They were in a tiny shack that was, for lack of a better word, old. There was a small bed, which Ulrich sat atop, a kitchen complete with a fireplace and cooking pot, and a closet that had food stored in it. It wasn't exactly a nice place to live. Everything looked as if it would collapse at any minute from old age. There was dust everywhere.

"It isn't much." Ulrich said simply. His grandfather shook his head.

"No," he said. "No it isn't, but it's livable." Ulrich raised an eyebrow. His grandfather just smiled. The silence stretched between them for some time. Neither seemed to know what to say next. Ulrich was at a loss. He'd been so hell bent on getting here, that, now that he was he realized he hadn't even considered what he'd say. His grandfather saved him the trouble of thinking about it though.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Ulrich. Ulrich looked up.

"I need answers." Ulrich said simply. His grandfather gave him a confused look.

"Answers for what?" he asked. Ulrich shrugged.

"Everything." Ulrich said, but as his grandfather gave him a pointed look he continued. "For starters, what's your name?" His grandfather looked like he'd just asked him what two plus two was.

"You already know that." he said. Ulrich shook his head quickly.

"Memory loss. Something happened when I was nine. I can't remember anything earlier than eight years ago." Ulrich said. His grandfather pinched the bridge of his nose. After a moment he spoke.

"Well, that complicates things." he said. Ulrich shrugged as his grandfather looked up.

"Well, since you asked, my name's Ald." he said. "And as for everything else." Ald paused here. "Well, where do I begin?" he asked.

"How about the day you left the pack." Ulrich said. His grandfather dragged a stool over to the bed before sitting down on it. After taking a moment to gather his thoughts he started talking.

"Well, like I said, I left the pack about three months before your parents. That was...eleven years now. You and your parents traveled around for a few months before I told them about an old house I built a few years before I was with the pack." he said. Ulrich leaned forward slightly, despite his swimming head.

"If you left before us, then how do you know this?" Ulrich asked. Ald shrugged.

"We stayed in contact. We could always find each other, we're werewolves after all." he said with a smile. Ulrich nodded in agreement before signaling for Ald to continue. "So I told your parents about the house, and you all traveled there. At that time I had settled here permanently, so your father and I established a way of sending letters back and forth. Carrier pigeon. We could get messages back and forth within a few days. You sent me a lot of letters in fact. Always telling me about what had been happening recently." Ald smiled at this, as did Ulrich.

Ald's eyes fell on Tsume, sitting next to them. "And I assume that this is the Tsume you were always talking about." Ald said while petting the wolf. Ulrich smiled before nodding.

"Yep, that's him, I guess." he said. Ald looked at him.

"You guess?" Ulrich shrugged.

"We got separated after what happened. I ran into him a few months ago, and he's fallowed me ever since." Ulrich said. "Didn't know who he was until I found our old house with a stuffed wolf toy in it." Ald smiled.

"Wolves travel in packs. He'll always find you Ulrich. You can count on that." Ald said. Ulrich nodded. "Anyway, where was I?" Ald asked shaking himself.

"I was sending you letters." Ulrich said. Ald nodded.

"That's right. You always sent me a letter alongside your parents. Sometimes it was just one sentence, sometimes entire pages." Ulrich smiled again before speaking.

"What happened?" he asked. Ald's eyes turned sad, and his gaze slipped to the floor.

"Xana found you." he said simply. Ulrich's eyebrows furrowed. There was that name again. Xana. Who was he?

"Who is Xana?" Ulrich said. Ald looked up from the floor.

"A monster." he said. The sheer pain, and sadness in his grandfathers eyes made Ulrich shiver. "A werewolf, if you can call him that." His grandfather paused, gathering his thoughts. "All werewolves; the packs, the rogues, every single last one of us live by a code. We follow a set of simple rules. Stay in our territory, protect the pack, we all have a code of honor. But Xana? Xana has no code. No rules. He seeks to gain control of all he sees. Anyone who disobeys, dies."

"We disobeyed, didn't we?" Ulrich asked. Ald nodded.

"The whole pack disobeyed. Before we left Xana had begun to take over the surrounding territory. Any pack that didn't surrender to him was wiped out as if they were nothing. No one could stop Xana." Ald continued. "Well, almost no one. There were two werewolves who were able to keep Xana at bay."

"Who?" Ulrich asked. Ald smiled.

"I was one of them." he said. Ulrich's eyebrows raised.

"And the second?" Ulrich asked.

"Your mother." Ald said. Ulrich leaned back.

"My mother helped stop Xana?" he asked. Ald shook his head.

"We delayed Xana. He's still alive." Ald said. Ulrich looked thoughtful.

"How were you two able to stop Xana when no one else could?" he asked. Ald smiled.

"I'm sure you know how all werewolves have enhanced strength and hearing." Ulrich nodded. "Well, every few decades, there's a generation of werewolves who are above everyone else. They move faster, hit harder, and they all have...abilities." Ulrich raised an eyebrow.

"Abilities? Like, super powers?" he asked. Ald shook his head.

"Not quite. It's different for every one of them. Some can connect with nature in a way normal werewolves can't. They can see what others don't. Some are faster than any other creature. They move in a blur, too fast to see. We call werewolves with these abilities _Ortwol,_ meaning Alphas. " Ald said.

"So, you and my mother were Ortwol's? That's how you could stand up to Xana? He wasn't one?" Ulrich asked. Ald nodded.

"It's true we were able to hold Xana off for a time, but even we have limits. Xana made a deal with creatures outside of our borders." Ald said. "Normally werewolves would kill them on sight, but Xana seemed to see that they could help him. He struck a deal. If the creatures would force us to leave the pack he would give them some of our lands." Ulrich nodded.

"What are the creatures, exactly?" he asked. Ald gave him a look.

"You really don't know?" he asked. Ulrich nodded. "They're vampires. The natural enemy of the werewolves."

"How did they force us to leave?" Ulrich asked. Ald sighed.

"They attacked the pack in a large group." he said. "Normally they travel in small groups, not packs like us. But this time there were dozens of them. We couldn't stop them. If we stayed the pack would be in danger, so we left." Ulrich looked down. He was having trouble processing all this.

"So Xana wanted you, my parents, and me dead because you and my mother were Ortwol's." Ulrich said. Ald nodded.

"Imagine his joy when he found out where you and your parents were hiding." Ald said. Ulrich looked at him.

"What happened exactly?" Ulrich asked. "I remember bit and pieces, but it isn't much." Ald shrugged.

"Then you know more than I do." he said. "After the letters stopped coming I knew something was wrong. I set out towards the house, but by the time I got there your parents were already dead and you were gone. I thought you had died as well." Ulrich smirked.

"Still fighting." he said to lighten the mood. His grandfather smiled slightly.

"Glad to hear it." he said. "So, that's all I know about whats happened." Ulrich looked at the ground, a sad look on his face. "I'm...sorry I can't tell you much more-"

"No, no it's...it's fine. It's a lot more than I started with." Ulrich looked his grandfather in the eye. "Thank you." Ald nodded before standing.

"Now, if I'm not mistaken, you should be lying down right now." As he said this he gently pushed Ulrich back onto the bed. "Don't worry, you can stay here as long as you like, and I'll see if I can dig up your old letters. Maybe reading a few will help." Ulrich nodded already closing his eyes.

With everything that had been happening and everything he'd learned he was suddenly tired, and was slowly drifting off to sleep.

"Thank you." he said before giving in to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13: Recovery

**Hi guys. Sorry it's been a while. It's been hectic. I won't bore you with the details. But here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it. Read and Review please!**

**Ald- German name meaning old/wise**

Ulrich's POV

Groggily, Ulrich sat up in the small cot that he lay on. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he yawned and slipped off the bed to stand. Shaking his head to clear it, he stopped almost immediately at the memory of his head injury. But instead of a throbbing pain like yesterday he felt a dull ache.

Realizing he was fine for the moment his gaze swept across the inside of the cabin, looking for Ald. But his grandfather was nowhere in sight. He heard an irregular thumping noise outside every few seconds, and reasoned Ald had stepped outside to do his morning work around the cabin.

Even though Ulrich had been bedridden for the past week he'd been conscious enough to realize that his grandfather spent most of the morning outside working, cutting firewood, gathering water, sweeping the tiny porch outside the door, washing clothes in the river nearby, and even tending a small garden around the back of the hut.

Ulrich's eyes fell on Tsume, laying a few feet away. _'Ever faithful' _ he thought.

"Hey boy." he said. The wolf's only response was a _thump-thump _of his tail. He raised an eyebrow at the animal. "You didn't understand that did you?" _Thump-thump_. After another moment he continued. "Maybe you do understand me." _Thump-thump._ "Now your just responding to my voice." _Thump-thump_. Ulrich sighed, and after a moment he walked to the door, stepping lightly onto the porch.

Immediately his eyes latched onto his grandfathers figure a few steps off the porch. In his hands was a large cutting axe. As Ulrich watched he lifted it above his head and brought it down onto a log of wood, splitting it with a resounding _crack__._ He leaned against the door frame. Recovering or not he was still tired from his injury. Ald nodded to him.

"Sleep well?" his grandfather asked. Ulrich nodded. The axe rose and fell as another log was split. "Good, few more days of rest and you should be recovered fully." Ulrich groaned in annoyance. Hearing the sound his grandfather gave him a quizzical look. "What?"

Ulrich made a frustrated gesture. "I'm going stir-crazy laying in here on this damn bed." His grandfather interrupted him.

"Language Ulrich." Ald said. Ulrich sighed.

"Sorry, I just hate not being able to do anything. Werewolves aren't meant to sit and do nothing all day." Ulrich said. Ald nodded.

"That's true." he said, "But you need to rest. You can't risk having a relapse with that head of yours." Ulrich waved his hand in dismissal.

"It's barely noticeable now. All I can feel is a twinge of pain now and again." Ulrich said. Ald shook his head.

"You need to rest Ulrich." he said again. Ulrich sighed. He knew Ald just wanted to help him, but he didn't have to like it. He tried once more.

"Please Ald. I'm not asking for you to let me go tramping up a mountain on my hands and knees. Just let me help around for a bit. Give me something to do." he said. His grandfather cocked his head to one side, studying Ulrich for a moment. Then, reluctantly, he nodded.

"Alright then. It's almost noon, and there isn't much left to do here." he said, "But you can go fill the water skins with some water from the river for me. It's not far." Ulrich nodded. He knew where the river was. He remembered passing it on his way here.

Assassin wolves POV

Jackson looked down in mild disgust at the cold, hard ration in his hands. Grudgingly he took a bite of it, hating it's taste. He made a negative gesture with his hands at Jacob.

"Can't stand these rations." he told him. "I don't see why we don't just hunt for game nearby. I've seen plenty around." Jacobs rolled his eyes in annoyance. They'd already had this conversation three times that day. He hated how Anton had left him alone with Jackson to go keep watch on the cabin.

"Because if we did hunt for food, we'd have to cook it on a fire." Jacobs said, his voice laced with anger. Jackson shrugged.

"So what?" he said. Jacobs took a deep breath, reining in his temper.

"A fire means smoke. And smoke will be visible for mile all around us. And it'll leave a scent that'll linger here for days. We'd be painting a gigantic target on our backs. We want to take the boy by surprise!" Jacobs said nearly shouting the words. Jackson wasn't convinced.

"We could risk a small fire. Shelter it in a large bush. That'll stop the smoke." he said.

"That won't stop the smell." Jacobs said, "And we're to close to the cabin for that."

Jackson drew breath in response. Jacobs temper exploded at that point.

"FOR GODS SAKE just eat your damn ration!" Jackson's mouth shut hurriedly. Jacobs leaned further against the log behind him, determined to ignore the werewolf a few feet away.

Ulrich's POV

It took Ulrich barely ten minutes to find the river and fill the water skins he'd thrown over his shoulders. He grunted as he struggled to walk up the short hill he was on. Because of his constant traveling his muscles were lean and strong, but due to the past weeks inactivity his muscles had already begun to soften. His foot slipped on a loose rock, and he only just managed to keep his footing.

But the slip up caused his eyes to land on something on the ground in front of him that he'd missed before. There in the soft dirt of the hill there was a barely visible imprint of a shoe. Ulrich's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

He and Ald wore hard leather boots meant for traveling and work, yet the footprint in front of him was clearly made by a soft soled shoe. He'd seen the other werewolves in the pack wearing similar shoes meant to muffle movement in order to stalk their prey. Ulrich himself had a pair in his bag for just that reason. But Ulrich hadn't worn them yet, and Ald didn't have any either. So who's footprint was this?

Raising his nose to the air, he tested it for any unknown scent. He was sure there was something there. It was just on the edge of his awareness. He could smell someone had been here recently, but he couldn't tell how long ago, or if it was a werewolf. He shook his head to clear it. Perhaps he wasn't quite ready for work. Could he have imagined the smell. He sniffed the air again and found he could pick up any trace of it anymore. After a moment of indecision he shrugged, moving on up the hill.

Once he was out of sight Anton slipped quietly down from the tree he'd been in directly above Ulrich. Funny how people rarely ever looked up, he thought before disappearing into the brush in the opposite direction Ulrich had taken.

**Hope you liked the chapter. And again, sorry for not updating in like three months. Anyway, read and review please!**


	14. Chapter 14: A Choice

**Hellooooo everyoooone! Hope you liked the last chapter! And I know, it's a back to back update! New Record! Yay! Everythings just pouring out and I can't stop writing! Anyway read and review please!**

Ulrich's POV

Ulrich dropped the water skins onto the low table sitting on the porch. He didn't see any sign of Ald, so he assumed he was inside. Pushing the door open, and stepping through he found Ald sitting in a stool that he'd pulled up to the table. He was eating a plate of cooked meat.

As Ulrich came to sit in the vacant chair next to him Ald slid another plate his way. But Ulrich wasn't hungry. He was still uncertain about the footprint. While he was thinking he blindly poked at his food with a wooden fork they used catching Ald's attention.

"Something wrong?" he asked. Ulrich shook his head, but after a moment he relented.

"Well, I guess not. But..." he trailed off. Ald raised his eyebrow at him. That was starting to annoy him. "It's just that I found something earlier. When I went to get water."

"What was it?" Ald asked.

"A footprint." Ulrich said. Instantly he had Ald's full attention.

"You found a footprint? Where?" he asked. Ulrich shrugged.

"I was climbing up the hill on my way back when I saw it. I tried to find a scent, but I couldn't pin point anything. Even though I knew something was there. It was like something was hovering just out of reach, but I couldn't tell what." Ald nodded.

"That's your instinct Ulrich. You should always trust it above all else. If it's telling you something, it's usually right." Ald said. "And if there's someone nearby, I'd like to know who and why. If it's Xana we may have a problem." Ulrich shook his head.

"What makes you think it's Xana? It could just be a rogue werewolf or something." Ulrich said. Now Ald shook his head.

"Unlikely." he said. "I've been laying down a scent over the years. Any rogue would recognize that immediately. Beside, it's always Xana." Ald stood up hurriedly. "Stay here. I'm going to search the woods for any sign of anyone in the vicinity. I'll be back before nightfall."

Yumi's POV

Yumi stepped into the large tent at the center of camp. It was almost dark. During the day this tent would serve as a meeting place for the council of senor members of the pack. The meeting would be led by her father, but at the moment it was empty save to him.

She took a few steppes into the tent, and sat down on one of the ten or so pillows arranged in a circle. Her father sat across from her, silent as she sat there waiting. After a moment or so she ventured to speak up,

"Did you want anything important dad?" she said. Takeo's attention snapped to her, and she got the impression he'd been lost in thought. Now, his eyes on her, he nodded quickly.

"Yes, I did." he said. "I'm sure your aware that your and Ulrich's time is running out." She nodded, uncertain where he was going with this.

"Yes, I am. I turn eighteen in just under four months." she said. Takeo nodded.

"And Ulrich hasn't returned yet." he said bluntly. Yumi felt a surge of alarm sweep over her.

"He'll be here in time." she said, firmly. Takeo shook his head.

"I don't think he will be. There's no telling when he'll be back. He doesn't even know your waiting for him." Takeo said.

"You said you'd wait until I'm eighteen. He has almost four months left. He'll be back." she said, desperation creeping into her voice. But Takeo was shaking his head again.

"I'm done waiting. Ulrich may not return for years, if at all. I don't thin-" Yumi cut him off, her voice rising in pitch.

"Don't you dare say he won't come back! He will! I _know_ it! He promised me." she said. Takeo's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean he promised you?" he asked. Yumi's eyes widened as she realized she'd said to much.

"Nothing, I just meant-" She flinched as Takeo's voice interrupted hers.

"_Don't_ lie to me Yumi." he said. After a moment Yumi's shoulders fell.

"We were...together briefly, before he left. He promised me he'd come back." she said. Takeo leaned back on the pillow he sat atop. Yumi pressed on. "Don't you see dad? I can't mate with William. I just can't. I-" her voice caught in her throat before see found it again. "I love _Ulrich_ dad. Not William."

Takeo's lips pressed into a hard line, as he took in everything she'd said. She began to hope that he'd relent, and agree with her, but then he shook his head. "Love isn't the most important thing in the world Yumi. You have to remember, the pack comes first. And yours and William's bloodline will strengthen the pack immensely."

"So will mine and Ulrich's" Yumi said, desperation creeping into her voice.

"No. How do you even know Ulrich will agree to mate with you once he's back? He may have some feelings for you, but becoming your mate is a big step. How do you know he'll agree?" he asked her. Yumi hesitated. In truth, Yumi didn't know. She hoped more than anything that Ulrich would do it, but she couldn't help but have a little doubt. After all, she and Ulrich had only been together for a day before he left. Takeo seized upon her uncertainty.

"You see. You don't know. However, William is _here_, and is _willing_ to be your mate. He's the best candidate for it without Ulrich here." he said. Tears streamed down Yumi's face.

"Please." she begged. "I can't." But Takeo wouldn't be swayed.

"You and William will be mated by the end of the week." he said. Then his eyes softened slightly. "You'll understand one day. And you'll thank me." Angrily she shook her head. The tears were gone now, and in there place came rage.

"You can't make me do this!" she said. Takeo gave her a pointed look.

"I'm your father, and your not eighteen for another three and a half months. I can tell you to do whatever I want." he said. She stood up in anger.

"I'll leave. I'll leave and I'll never come back! I won't let you do this!" she said, her voice rising.

"You can try." Takeo said with a smirk. "But luckily some of your friends aren't as stubborn as you. They realize it's in your best interest to mate with William." As he said this Odd and Jeremy stepped into the tent on either side of her, their faces expressionless. "They will escort you back to your tent where they'll remain there to guard you. You can't run away. And you can't disobey me. Your going to mate with William." Then Takeo waved his hand and Odd place his hand gently on her shoulder to lead her away.

Angrily, she shook his hand off. Not because she was angry at him. She knew they were just faking, but she wanted to give her dad a show of defiance. Without a word she followed them as they lead her out of the tent.

Once they were outside their blank expressions slipped into ones of worry. Odd spoke up.

"What do we do now?" he asked, uncertainly.

She looked from one to the other. Her eyes closed then, taking a deep breath, she opened them again. They were set in determination. I the space of half a second, she made her choice.

"Your getting me out of here." she said. "Tonight."


	15. Chapter 15: Into the Night

**Hellooo! Bet you didn't expect another update this quickly. Or maybe you did? Eh, who cares. Your not here for that. Your here for the story! Read and Review Please!**

Ald's POV

Ald slipped silently down the dirt path leading towards the river. Ulrich had said the footprint was on the hill, so that was where he'd start. Normally he'd be strolling through the path without a care in the world. Outside of Ulrich and the occasional assassin sent by Xana he hadn't seen anyone in years, and because of that he'd become somewhat lax in security.

Now however, he didn't take any chances. He moved down the path in a slow, methodical pattern. Never staying in the open for too long. Treating every situation as if there was an enemy waiting to catch him off guard.

The path to the hill was barely fifty meters long, but moving in the way that he was, it took him almost ten minutes to reach the crest of the hill. As he neared the edge he dropped belly low to the ground, using his arms and legs to drive himself forward.

Taking a moment at the edge to listen for any unknown sounds and, hearing none, he rose up into a crouch. His golden hued eyes scanned down the slope in front of him, looking for any sign of movement. And then he was moving down the hill, still in a crouch. It took him some time to find the foot print in the dark.

His nose twitched as he caught an unfamiliar scent. Ulrich had been right. There _had_ been a werewolf here. Whether or not it was a rouge or assassin though, he had no idea. He still had a vague suspicion it was another of Xana's cronies. Whoever it was, they know how to cover their scent and tracks, and he doubted a simple rogue would be capable of that. The next thing he heard was the sound of a branch breaking under someone's foot.

Anton's POV

Anton crouched quietly beside a tree, hidden not only by the underbrush around him, but by the blackness of the night as well. He'd been watching events at the cabin for sometime, but with the sun set, and the cabin's two occupants retired for the night he'd begun to make his way back to their camp when he'd spotted movement in his peripheral vision.

Instantly he froze in place, unmoving, barely breathing. Slowly, as no sound of surprise was heard he turned his head towards the direction of the movement. He didn't see anything at first, but then his eyes spotted another small movement and he immediately made out the distinctive shape of a person. Thankfully he was down wind, so there was no way they could catch his scent.

As his eyes managed to make out the size and structure of the person he concluded that it was the old man, who was much larger and taller than Ulrich was, easily recognized even in the dark. He was behind, and a little to the left of the mans position. After a moment of contemplation, he gave in to his curiosity and decided to follow him to see what he was doing.

Ald's POV

His head whipped around behind him, where the sound had come from further up the hill. His eyes made out an indistinct shape several meters away, and without a second thought he bolted uphill towards it. Whoever it was took off in a random direction, but he was already upon them ready to strike.

Then, out of no where, something slammed into his forehead, knocking him back. Dazed, hurt, and off balance his legs collapsed under him, sending him tumbling down the hill. He rolled for several seconds before hitting the bottom with a resounding _thud_! Then the world went black.

Yumi's POV

Tying the final knot on her laced up travel boots she swept her gaze one last time over the inside of her tent to see if she'd forgotten anything. Not seeing anything she'd left, she picked up her carry on bag, throwing it over her shoulder as she did so.

Her dad was no where inside the tent. Normally they'd sleep in the same tent as a family, but luckily, her father had been smart enough to realize that she had no wish to see him at the moment, and had decided to spend the night in the council tent. Why did this matter? Because tonight she'd be leaving everything she'd ever known behind, never to come back.

She would never mate with William, no matter what her father did. And if she had to leave the pack to make sure of it, she would. Drawing back the tent flap to reveal Odd and Jeremy, posted outside her tent by her father to keep her here, she stepped lightly into the open next to them.

She tried a small smile, but she had the feeling it didn't look like one. Odd and Jeremy's expressions were the same as hers. They both knew that this was goodbye. They'd likely never see each other again, and that hurt. They'd all grown up together. Losing Ulrich all those years ago was hard, and it was worse the second time. She knew this would be no different.

As the two boys turned to face her, she felt her expression brake and tears gather in her eyes. She threw her arms around them, and they did the same. None of them spoke. They couldn't find the words. Finally she managed to find her voice, and she croaked out, "Goodbye guys." Neither of them said anything in return. After several seconds she stepped back from the hug, and looked from one to the other, nodding to each individually.

She opened her mouth to speak again, only to be interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. Turning to the noise, she made out the form of Aelita a few feet a way.

"Are you sure about this?" Aelita whispered softly. Yumi nodded.

"I can't stay here." she said. Yumi held out her arms to Aelita, and the pink haired girl stepped into them, hugging her tight.

"We're going to miss you." Aelita said. Yumi nodded, more tears flowing down her cheeks.

"I'll miss you too." she said. Then, stepping away from Aelita they all came together in one last group hug, whispering final goodbyes before Yumi quietly slipped away into the dark. Odd put his arm around Aelita's shoulders, comforting her. Then, all three of them walked back to their respective tents.

Yumi was in luck tonight. It had rained that morning, and the ground was still damp with perspiration. The wet, mustiness effectively covered any scent she had, and she had no trouble whatsoever slipping silently past the perimeter guard at the edge of camp. She stopped at the beginning of the trees, turning to take one last look at her home. Then she slipped into the forest without a sound, disappearing from sight within seconds.

Ulrich's POV

Ulrich was getting worried. His grandfather hadn't returned yet. He'd been gone for hours. It was well past midnight by now, and Ulrich was considering going out to look for him. He decided against it almost immediately. Ald had told him to stay here, so he would. But even as he told himself that, he could feel his resolution slipping.

He'd actually stood up to go searching when he heard the footsteps on the porch. His shoulders slumped in relief as he heard it, and he started towards the door when a snarl reached his ears. He froze. There was no reason Ald would snarl, and when there was no reason for something it usually meant it wouldn't happen. Which meant it wasn't Ald outside.

Another snarl. Ulrich slowly approached the door, ready to leapt into action at a moments notice. His hand paused as it touched the door handle, then at the sound of another snarl he promptly threw the door open revealing whoever was on the other side.

His grandfather stood there at the end of the porch, leaned against a barrel, and clutching his angle, snarling in obvious pain. Ulrich's eyes furrowed in worry, as he saw that Ald was covered in small scratches and cut, and was currently nursing what looked like a broken ankle.

"What happened?" Ulrich asked. "Did you run into anyone?" Ald scowled in anger.

"No." he said Ulrich looked him up and down, picking out at least a dozen scratches and cuts on him.

"Then what happened to you?" Ulrich asked. Ald scowled again, even angrier than before.

"I heard something moving around behind me, and took off after it." he said, his tone growing more and more agitated. "Ran right into a damn tree branch, and rolled all the way down the hill. Knocked me out and broke my ankle in the process." Ulrich blinked several times. Then, he said slowly,

"Wait. Let me get this straight. You heard a sound that you thought was a werewolf, chased after it, hit your head on a tree branch, and rolled all the way down the hill?" Ald's scowl deepened before he answered.

"Yes. That's what happened." he said. Ulrich didn't say anything for some time, and Ald began to suspect that his blank expression was a little _too _innocent looking. Slowly, Ulrich's face twitched as he tried to keep his face still. Then as a small subdued chuckle escaped his lips his laughter came out like a rushing waterfall. He doubled over, his hands holding his sides, and his shoulders shaking tremendously.

Ald glared at him. "Thank you for your concern." he said icily. Ulrich held up a hand in apology.

"Sor-sorry." he said, every word separated by his laughter, "It's-it's just-" He gave up any attempted at speaking as his laughing doubled in intensity and he almost fell over. Slowly, though he tried to hide it, a smile crept its way onto Ald's face and a chuckle escaped his lips.

Limping on his bad ankle, he led Ulrich inside, who by now had regained control of himself enough to speak. He motioned towards the table, and they both sat down.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it." he said. Ald raised an eyebrow, but Ulrich could tell he wasn't really angry at him. Then Ald spoke up in a dry voice.

"I'd take this a bit more seriously if I were you Ulrich. Your the one they want to kill after all." Instantly any trace of humor was gone from Ulrich's expression. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What makes you think I'm their target?" he asked, "Wouldn't it make more sense that you were their target. This is your hut after all." Ald shook his head.

"That may be true, but your most definitely their target." he said. Ulrich opened his mouth to speak, but Ald held up his hand to silence him. "Let me explain. You've told me that ever since you've lost your memory that vampires have constantly been on your trail." Ulrich nodded. "Then you found the pack. You start remembering more and more of your past, and even visit your old home. You then come here to find me in the middle of no where. Your the first person I've seen in years, and barely a week after you show up we find traces of a werewolf nearby. That isn't a coincidence Ulrich. Your the reason their here."

Ulrich looked down at the tables surface, thinking. After a moment he spoke up.

"But why?" Ulrich asked. "Why are they after me?" His grandfather shrugged.

"Could be anything." he said. Ulrich gave him a pointed look. "Ok. There's more than a substantial chance that Xana sent them. He hired the vampires to kill you, and they haven't been able to do it."

"But that doesn't mean-" Again Ald held up his hand for him to be silent.

"And now that your with the pack your becoming more and more of problem as you uncover your past, and remember more and more of what Xana did." Ulrich had to agree with him on that point, but then a thought struck him and he voice his idea.

"But that doesn't mean it's Xana, does it?" Ulrich said uncertainly, "After all, it's very possible that Xana thinks that I died with my parents. He may not even know I'm here." Ald rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he contemplated. Then, he nodded slightly.

"Yes, I suppose that's possible as well. It'd be just like the vampires to tell Xana they finished you off like he asked." Ald said.

"But then why would they keep chasing me?" Ulrich asked. Ald shrugged.

"They'd have to. If Xana ever found out that they lied to him they all be as good as dead, so of course they'd want to be sure to finish the job. It's a miracle you've survived for so long on your own." he said. Ulrich nodded. What he said made sense.

"So there's a more than likely chance that Xana sent them to kill me," Ulrich started, "But it's also just as likely that he doesn't even know I exist." Ald nodded. Ulrich groaned in confusion. This was getting complicated. "What I don't understand is why he's so dead set on killing me. Your all the way out here, so you can't do anything against him." Ald raised his eyebrow at him. Ulrich made a dismissive gesture. "You know what I mean. And on top of that he's already killed my mother. That was the only reason he was after us right? Because my mother was an Ortwol?"

His grandfather hesitated, averting his eyes. Ulrich's gaze became questioning. "That is the only reason right?" Ulrich asked. "Right?" His grandfather's shoulders slumped in resignation.

"I didn't want to tell you this yet." Ald said, "I didn't want to worry you, but..." Ulrich gave him a pleading look.

"Grandfather, if it's about Xana then I need to know. What didn't you want to tell me?" Ulrich asked. Ald shifted in his seat before replying.

"It was a few months after Xana began taking over pack territories. He'd begun to whip out the Ortwol as well. At the time there were a few dozen of us. We all decided to join together to fight against Xana for survival, and with our pack being the largest, it was the obvious choice to meet." Ulrich leaned forward.

"So you and the other Ortwol from the surrounding packs gathered together?" Ulrich asked, but Ald shook his head.

"We never did. Xana whip out the other Ortwols before they could reach us. Only one managed to make it to our camp, and she died that very night from her wounds." Ald said. Ulrich was to shocked to say anything. Ald continued.

"However, before the woman died she told us how to defeat Xana." Ulrich's eyes widened.

"What did she tell you?" he asked.

"All Ortwol have special inherent abilities. Her's was the ability to foretell what was to come." Ald said. Ulrich sat back.

"You mean like the future?" he asked. Ald shook his head.

"Nothing so accurate." he said. "It was more like she could sense what was about to happen and could foretell it in a prophecy." Ulrich leaned forward again.

"So she told you how to beat Xana with a prophecy?" he asked. His grandfather nodded.

"She died directly after she told us. It took all of her remaining strength, but yes, she told us." Ald said.

"What was the prophecy?" Ulrich asked. Ald hesitated again, but continued regardless.

"She spoke of an Ortwol that would be born that very night. She called him the _Ortwol of Ortwols_. The Alpha of Alphas as it were." Ald said. "And she said that this boy would be destined to kill Xana, and bring peace to the territory." Ulrich's face changed to confusion.

"You said _boy_." Ulrich said. "Do you know who it is?" Ald nodded.

"The boy was born in our camp that night." he said. Ulrich made a hurried gesture.

"Who?" Ulrich asked. "Who was it?" This time when his grandfather hesitated he didn't continue speaking, so Ulrich tried again. "Who was it? Tell me, please." His grandfather met his gaze, and said one word that froze Ulrich on the spot.

"You."

**Hope you liked it! Things are really getting intense now! Read and Review Please!**


	16. Chapter 16: Ortwol

**Hello everybody! Sorry about the mix up with the next chapter. I still have no idea what happened to it. I mean it just seems to have deleted itself. Well, that doesn't matter now. Enjoy the chapter! Read and Review please!**

**Oh and by the way, in response to The Girl in The Forest's question, I've been in this fandom for almost four years now.**

Ulrich's POV

"Me?" Ulrich said. Ald nodded. "That's...that doesn't make any sense. I'm not an Ortwol." Ald raised an eyebrow at this.

"And you know this for a fact, Ulrich?" he asked. Ulrich looked down.

"Well...no, I don't...but it makes sense, right?" Ulrich said. "You told me that Ortwol are only born every few generations." Ald nodded in conformation. "Yeah, so your an Ortwol. A-And my mother's an Ortwol."

"Which is strange enough on its own." Ald interrupted. "There's never been two generations of Ortwol alive or born at the same time. It's practically unheard of. And your generation? A third? It's impossible." Ulrich nodded largely at this.

"Exactly!" he said. "It's impossible for me to be an Ortwol, let alone this Ortwol of Ortw-"

"And yet you are." Ald said resolutely. Ulrich stopped midsentence. Ald made a placative gesture. "Ulrich, do you know what happens when a werewolf transforms?" Ulrich raised an eyebrow.

"They turn into a wolf?" he said, uncertainly. His grandfather made a dismissive gesture.

"Yes, yes, they turn into a wolf." Ald said. "But what specifically changes?" Ulrich shrugged.

"They grow fur, their bone structure changes, their teeth sharpen-" he trailed off, and Ald motioned him to continue. "They...um, their eyes change color..." Ald seized upon the answer.

"Yes!" he said. "Their eye's change from their normal color to gold." Ulrich shook his head in confusion.

"But what does that have to do with Ortwol?" Ulrich asked. His grandfather leaned forward.

"When Ortwol are born their eye color is silver. Then after a few days that color fades, and is replaced by another." Ald paused to let Ulrich absorb that piece of information.

"I still don't under-" Ald interupted him.

"Your eyes were silver when you were born, Ulrich." he said. Ulrich stopped. He looked down at his hands, where they rested on the table.

"So I'm...I'm...an Ortwol." he said, half to himself. Ald shifted in his seat.

"I know that this is a lot to process, and I haven't given you much time to think about any of it, but you have to understand Ulrich." Ald said. "You are the only person capable of killing Xana. The only one. You are the Ortwol from the prophecy, and our packs only hope of survival."

Ulrich rubbed the sides of his temples in frustration, groaning out. A moment of silence passed before Ulrich stood up suddenly.

"I-I need time to think." he said as he moved quickly to the door. "I'll be back later." Ald stood.

"Ulrich, wait." Ald said. "Where are you going?" The door slammed shut as Ulrich rushed out.

"Ulrich!" Ald shouted opening the door. "It's the middle of the night!"

Yumi's POV

Yumi jogged through the forest with barely a sound. She'd left camp an hour ago, and since then the rain had picked up again after that morning. The small shower of rain thoroughly erased any trace of her voyage through the woods. But she wasn't about to slow down yet. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but she couldn't shake this feeling that she was being followed, and until she knew she wasn't she wouldn't slow down for anything.

_'Snap'_ She stopped dead in her tracks, her head swiveling towards the sound. To her right. She caught sight of a small group of werewolves patrolling the area. There were at least eight of them, none of which she recognized. She'd crossed into another packs territorry.

She bolted. In all honesty, she should've just stayed put and hid somewhere. The rain would have covered any sound she made, or any scent she left. They probably would have passed right by her if she found somewhere to hide. But, running as she did, had drawn their attention immediately. Surprised shouts and a lone howl met her ears as she weaved her way through the trees.

She could hear them behind her. Although, they weren't exactly being subtle about chasing her. Multiple howls and shouts came every few seconds, and she was positive that at least two of them had transformed. They were at least fifty yards behind her, but she steadily pulled away from them. She was a fast runner, and only the fastest wolves could've kept up with her. Ever so slowly their howls faded into the background, but not entirely gone. They were still following her. She sped up, running even faster.

She came up on the cliff before she could blink. The small twenty meter drop had been hidden from sight by a line of bushes, and as she hurtled herself over them she realized what was happening to late.

Her foot caught on the top of a particularly tall bush, and probably saved her life in the process. If she'd cleared the bushes she'd fall through the air propelled by gravity until she hit the bottom. But as her foot had been caught on the bush her speed had reduced greatly, and instead of a free fall to her death she simply rolled down the steep incline head first.

However, that ended up not being much better. There was a small outcrop halfway down the incline that jutted out a few feet, and as she rolled down it she found herself free falling the last ten yards of the drop, landing on the ground with a thud. Her vision went black, and the last thing she saw before blacking out was blood.

Ulrich's POV

Ulrich made his way along the dirt trail. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he knew he couldn't stay in the cabin anymore. He needed to clear his head. Process everything. His mind was racing. He couldn't stop thinking over what his grandfather said about him. That he was an Ortwol. And he wasn't just an Ortwol. He was the damn Ortwol of Ortwol's. The only person who could hope to defeat Xana.

But could he do that? He had no idea who Xana really was, other then the fact that he was a werewolf. He had no idea where he was, and no way of finding him. Xana was possibly sending people to kill him, and if it wasn't Xana then it was vampires instead. How was Ulrich supposed to stop him if he couldn't even remember his own past. He'd come all the way out here to his grandfather for answers, and he got them. But every answer raised at least two questions, and they just kept pilling up.

Ulrich reached the end of the path at the side of the river, and stopped where he was. Then, unable to stand still he began pacing back and forth along the river bank. He wasn't sure if he really believed that he was an Ortwol, but he trusted his grandfather's word. If he said he was the Ortwol of Ortwol's then who was he to argue. He just wished that he could remember something about it. Anything! It didn't matter what it was, just so long as it-

A peircing ringing sounded in his skull, and he fell to his knees. He suddenly felt lightheaded, and he could hear the blood pumping in his ears. His vision flashed white, and a lance of pain stabbed into his mind. He cried out, falling to lay on the ground curled up in a ball. His hands clutched at his head, as the pain grew and a scream of agony sounded from his lips. Then he blacked out.

Yumi's POV

Slowly, she opened her eyes. Her head felt fuzy, and she could hardly move. Must've hit her head in the fall. She tried to roll over onto her stomache to stand up, but a firery pain shot down her leg when she moved. She raised her head to look at her leg, and she saw what had caused the pain. There was a long, thin tree branch stabbing like an arrow into her left thigh, just above the knee cap.

Dully, she became aware of the smell of blood. Her blood. The wound was steadily pouring out blood, and she didn't need a healer to know that if she didn't stop the flow she'd bleed to death in a matter of minutes.

She heard the sound of howling in the distance. The patrol! They must still be looking for her. The rain would have covered her scent, but injured as she was it would only be a matter of time before they found her.

Slowly, being careful not to move her leg, she felt around the opposite side of the wound, and had to bite her tongue to stop the shout of pain when she brushed against the branch. Damn. It had gone all the way through her leg. Ever so slowly she managed to sit up with minimal pain. Minimal being superficial at this point, as her entire body was wracked with pain that centered around her leg, making her grit her teeth.

She took a closer look at the tree branch in her leg. It was almost three feet in length. There was a good two feet sticking out of her leg on the inside of her thigh, and an inch or two jutting out the other side. The howling was closer now, and she glanced worriedly up the cliff towards the sound.

As gently as she could she wrapped both her hands around the branch as close to the wound as she could. Still though, she winced as her hands moved the branch slightly. She took a moment to calm her racing pulse, and took several deep breaths. She pulled on the branch. Her face steadily contorted in agonizing pain as the branch stuck fast for several seconds before it slipped clear of her leg. She screamed in agony, falling back and jamming her fist over her mouth to stop the sound from escaping.

Unfortunately, it seemed she hadn't been successful as the howling immediately became louder, heading her way. She didn't have long. Without the branch blocking the wound it bled much more quickly than before, and she felt herself sway slightly from blood loss. Quickly she grabbed the bottom of her shirt, ripping off a long thin scrap of fabric. She wrapped it around her leg as tightly as she could, binding it and stopping the blow flow. That taken care of she tried moving her leg. It moved, but it hurt, and she couldn't support any weight on it.

Several small stones and dirt slid down the cliffside above her alerting her to someones presence. She didn't see anyone, but they had to be there. It had to be a member of the patrol, and she knew the others wouldn't be far behind. She couldn't run in her condition. She had to find somewhere to hide. Looking around, her eyes fell on a tree several yards away. It had half way fallen over onto another nearby tree some time ago. And as a product the large roots had been ripped up and the ground had given way to a small hole. There was only a few feet of space under the tree roots, but it was all she had.

She rolled over onto her stomach ignoring the pain in her leg as she dragged her self the couple yards to the tree, pulling the roots to the side as she slipped into the small hiding hole, and the last thing she saw before blacking out again was the sight of the roots she'd moved springing back into place, concealing her for now.

**Well, did you like the chapter? Hope so! Read and Review Please!**


	17. Chapter 17: Control

**Hey guys, sorry that it's been a while since I updated. But I've got a fresh, new chapter for you. Hope you like it! Read and Review please!**

**PS: I'm going to try and update Code: The Adventure Continues soon, but I've been busy with a lot of work lately so I don't know if it'll be soon. Here's hoping though!**

Ulrich's POV

_Flashback_

_Ulrich reached the end of the path at the side of the river, and stopped where he was. Then, unable to stand still he began pacing back and forth along the river bank. He wasn't sure if he really believed that he was an Ortwol, but he trusted his grandfather's word. If he said he was the Ortwol of Ortwol's then who was he to argue. He just wished that he could remember something about it. Anything! It didn't matter what it was, just so long as it-_

_A piercing ringing sounded in his skull, and he fell to his knees. He suddenly felt lightheaded, and he could hear the blood pumping in his ears. His vision flashed white, and a lance of pain stabbed into his mind. He cried out, falling to lay on the ground curled up in a ball. His hands clutched at his head, as the pain grew and a scream of agony sounded from his lips. Then he blacked out._

_End Flashback_

Ulrich laid on the ground, curled into a ball. His eyes were tightly shut, and he was shivering, as if cold. Sweat ran down his brow. Pain lanced it's way up and down his body repeatedly. It felt like his whole body was burning, but the pain was centered around his head.

It felt as if someone was hammering away at his skull like a miner hammers a rock. He thought it would split open any second if it didn't stop. His arms cradled themselves around his head, as if to protect himself, but it was clear he could do nothing to stop the pain from coming. His memories flashed before his eyes. At least the ones he remembered.

He saw his parents smiling at him. His home burning as Xana's forces tore it apart. His mother trapped under the fallen ceiling, burning. The sword blade appearing in the middle of his father's chest. The creatures, no _the vampires_, hunting him. He saw his friends back home. Odd his best friend. Jeremy, always a little uptight and a know it all, but a good friend regardless. Aelita, sweet and caring, always looking out for others.

And Yumi. _Yumi._ Her hair. Her eyes. Her smile. Everything he loved about her and more flashed in his eyes. He constructed a mental image of her in his mind. He focused on it. On her. He saw her flash a smile at him, and everything else faded away. Her image eclipsed all other thoughts.

Slowly, the shivering stopped. The burning pain in his skull withdrew, and he could breath normally again. His eye's opened, and he was able to look around him again. Ever so slowly, he stretched out his limbs, sitting up after a few seconds. There was still a dull ache in the back of his head from earlier, but he hardly noticed it.

He took a deep, shuddering breath to steady himself. He looked over at the river a few feet away, and crawled over to it. He leaned over the edge, splashing water in his face. Rubbing his eyes to clear them, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the crystal clear water. His eyes had turned golden. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself as he pushed his wolf side down. He opened his eyes again to look back into the water.

He leaned down towards it, his brow furrowing in confusion. His eyes were still golden. His fingers went to his face, near his eyes, and he drew his hand back sharply as he felt a small prick when his fingers touched skin. His eyes widened as his fingernails slowly grew into full size claws. He tried to reverse it, stop it from happening; but he couldn't control them. He could feel the beginnings of adrenaline running through him as his wolf side began coming out.

His breathing was rushed, and labored. His eyes moved this way and that as they picked out every little movement in the vicinity. Alarm shot through him as his eyes looked to the sky, searching back and forth, looking for the moon. It couldn't be full already could it? He spotted it and breathed a sigh of relief. It was still waning. A crescent moon. It would be a new moon soon. But if not the moon, then why was he transforming?

But he wasn't really transforming, was he? Yeah, his claws had come out, and his senses were sharpened like always when he started to transform. But other than that nothing was wrong. Why was this happening? And why couldn't he stop it? He'd gained control of his transformations long ago; this hadn't happened in years.

Quickly, he stood up from the edge. He turned back towards the cabin, and without a second thought he began running up the dirt trail. Maybe his grandfather could help him. At the very least he would know what was wrong.

Assassin Wolves POV

Jacob shifted his position for perhaps the tenth time in the last thirty minutes. The tree branch he was crouched on was surrounded by many smaller branches and leaves. It made it a great hiding spot to keep watch on Ulrich without being seen, but it was lacking in space to stretch himself out. His muscles were cramped and tired.

Oh, how he wished Ulrich would just get up and leave already. Jacob and Jackson had been silently observing the boy for almost three hours now, and his patience was beginning to wear thin. Ulrich had burst out of the hut without warning at full speed, heading directly towards where they were concealed in a bush. He'd been certain he was caught until Ulrich passed his hiding place without a glance.

After a moment to wait they reasoned the older werewolf wasn't coming out as well, and they silently followed Ulrich's trail before catching up and hiding themselves away. Jacob unconsciously glanced to the bushes less than thirty yards away were Jackson was concealed. The other werewolf was closer to Ulrich than Jacob was. Jacob just hoped that Jackson could keep his head, and not do anything stupid.

Minutes passed as they watched Ulrich pacing back and forth, apparently concerned about something. His eyes began to droop as his lack of sleep caught up to him. However his eyes snapped back up in a heartbeat upon hearing the boy's cry of alarm, thinking that Jackson had been stupid enough to attack him.

He saw Ulrich clutch at his head in pain before he sank to the ground, curling up into a ball. He wondered briefly what was wrong, but soon he dismissed the thought since he didn't really care much anyway. He contemplated whether or not to make a move on Ulrich while he was defenseless, but dismissed the idea immediately. Anton had given them a strict no attack order. They were only to observe.

About twenty minutes had passed before Ulrich finally rose from his spot on the ground and moved to the river, splashing water on his face. Jacob watched cautiously as Ulrich slowly went form calm to panicked. Even from this distance he could see the golden glow of Ulrich's eyes. He saw his claws take shape and how his breathing quickened. Then without warning Ulrich took off down the trail as a full sprint.

Jacob began to move in preparation to follow, but he froze as Jackson came crashing out of the bushes less than thirty yards behind Ulrich. Jacobs eyes widened as he saw Jackson's claws and teeth bared in aggression. The fool was going to attack Ulrich!

_Idiot! Can't he see that Ulrich's practically on the verge of transformation? Ulrich is acting completely on instinct. He'll know Jacksons there before he gets close enough to kill him!_ Jacob's muscles tensed to leap from his tree onto Jackson to stop him, but a hand closed around his right arm first. Jacob looked over to see Anton shaking his head.

"He's going to expose us!" Jacob whispered in alarm. Anton shook his head again.

"No, he's going to expose himself." Anton whispered. Jacob drew breath to respond but Anton interrupted him. "They already know we're here. They found my footprints, and Ald nearly caught me the other night. But they have no reason to suspect that there's more than one of us. Jackson's strong, I'll give him that, but the state that Ulrich's in make the boy far more dangerous than him. This way Ulrich will think that they've dealt with the intruder already and he'll let his guard down."

Jacob didn't say anything for a second or too before he nodded and sat back down on the branch to watch as Jackson closed the gap between him and the boy.

Ulrich's POV

Ulrich rushed up the hill, not even registering where he was placing his feet. He was too out of it to focus right now. He simply ran in the general direction of the cabin. But he hadn't covered thirty meters before he felt a shift in the air around him. Something wasn't right. Someone was here, and whoever it was wasn't his grandfather.

Footsteps thudded over the ground somewhere close behind him. And in his heightened state of awareness he didn't even need to look to pinpoint their exact location. Reacting purely on instinct at this point he pivoted on his right foot, his left coming up, out, and around in one motion. His heel connected with his attackers jaw, and Ulrich felt the bone crack under the force of his kick. The werewolf, for Ulrich could see that it was a werewolf now, was knocked to the side as the kick hit him so hard that both of his feet left the ground for a second or two.

But the werewolf recovered quickly, rolling t his feet, one hand holding his now broken jaw. Ulrich crouched low, his clawed fingers digging into the soft earth below him, and his teeth were bared in a growl of warning. However this action only seemed to agitate his attacker who response with a snarl, as he leapt at Ulrich.

Looking back, Ulrich would only have a foggy memory of what happened next. Whether it was the snarl, or the fact that the werewolf was attacking him; Ulrich didn't know. But whatever it was about his attacker, it caused Ulrich to lose what little sense of reason he had left.

They crashed together, both of them at a full sprint. In his heightened state Ulrich was faster than the other werewolf. He had the advantage. But the werewolf was strong. Stronger than the average werewolf. His strength overpowered Ulrich's and their head on collision sent Ulrich tumbling onto his back, his attacker on top of him. The moment Ulrich felt his back hit the ground he shoved both of his feet into his attackers stomach, the force of Ulrich's legs and his own forward momentum sending the werewolf careening over Ulrich's head where he landed somewhere behind where Ulrich lay.

In an instant Ulrich had rolled over, his feet now under him. He leapt forward, his clawed hands outstretched. The werewolf managed to roll onto his back just in time for Ulrich to land on top of him. Ulrich raked his hands across the werewolf's chest, his claws ripping the shirt and slicing into the flesh bellow. The werewolf let out an inhuman howl of pain. Ulrich's right hand latched onto the werewolf's neck, while he drew his left hand back aiming it at the werewolf's throat.

A lance of pain screamed it's way into Ulrich's head. The same piercing ringing from earlier sounded in his skull. Screaming in pain, Ulrich clutched at his head in agony as his vision flashed white. The werewolf below him, now free of Ulrich's grip, fumbled around on the ground around them searching. His fingers clasped a large stick, and he immediately whipped it up to slam into the side of Ulrich's head. Ulrich's hand took most of the impact, as it was still clasped around his skull. However, the blow combined with the loud ringing in his ears was enough to send him toppling of the other werewolf where he collapsed to the ground. The werewolf stumbled to his feet, standing over Ulrich.

The werewolf growled in victory as he began to raise the stick above his head to bash Ulrich's head in. He raised his arms so high that the stick was actually almost touching his back. With a mighty yell from the werewolf the stick began it's deadly decent back down. The werewolf froze, eye's wide, the stick barely an inch from crushing Ulrich's skull. His grip slackened around the piece of wood, and it hit the ground with a dull thud, soon to be followed by the werewolf's body as Ald withdrew his sword from it's back. The werewolf lay unmoving. Ald threw his sword to the ground, rushing to Ulrich's prone form in a panic.

"Ulrich!" Ald yelled as he dropped to his knees, his hand feeling for a pulse. He sighed in relief as he realized Ulrich was alive. He gripped Ulrich's shoulders, shaking them in an attempt to wake him. After a few minutes without success, he began to panic again as it became apparent that Ulrich wasn't going to wake up. "Ulrich, wake up!" he shouted shaking Ulrich even harder. But no matter what Ald did Ulrich would no rise, and as far as he could tell Ulrich didn't have any major injuries outside of his hand. What was wrong with him? Without a word Ald gathered Ulrich in his arm, rushing to the cabin. Whatever was wrong with him, he had to get him inside. Once Ulrich was inside however, Ald had absolutely no idea what he was going to do. He shook his head in worry as he rushed off.

Ulrich's POV

Ulrich's eyes snapped open, and he sat up so quickly that it made his head spin and his eyes blurry. The light blinded him, and he quickly shut them again, as he waited for the world to stop spinning. He couldn't remember what he'd been doing last. What was going on? Where was he? Rubbing his eyes to clear them, and with his head mostly fine now, he opened his eyes slowly to take in his surroundings. And he couldn't believe his eyes. Slowly rising unsteadily to his feet, he stood stock still as he took in the camp he'd left weeks ago. The camp that his pack called home was directly in front of him. But it was different somehow. The tents weren't all in the same place, and there were more of them then when he left.

"Ulrich." a calm voice called out from his left. He flinched violently as he turned half stumbling backward in surprise. A his heart stopped as he locked eyes with the owner of the voice. Because this was impossible. It simply wasn't possible. Because standing a few feet away from him, was his mother.

**Did you enjoy the chapter? I hope so. I certainly enjoyed writing it. Leave me a review if you liked it! Every review counts! Even yours!**


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